Shimanouchi Fujimaru Winery
Chuo-ku, Osaka

Grapes: Delaware
Type: Orange
Style: Dry, medium-bodied
Colour: Medium amber
Alcohol: 12%
Wild yeast: Yes
Any added sulphites: No
Filtered: No
Serving temperature: 13-16°C
Production: 1,139 bottles
Please store in a cool, dark place.

Tasting notes
Ripe melon and blood orange aroma. A hint of dried thyme. Pleasant acidity. The combination of savoury flavour and bitterness of pink grapefruits gradually and gently spreads in the mouth. Shake the bottle gently to mix the lees before serving to taste more Qvevri touch.

Food pairing
Kara-age (deep-fried chicken), grilled fish fillet pickled in sweet white miso (Saikyo-yaki), and Soy-sauce-based grilled seafood such as squid. Japanese homemade dishes as well as ethnic dishes with herbs and spices.

Winemaking
The grapes were hand-selected, destemmed and crushed, then macerated for 2 weeks. Punching down once or twice a day during fermentation to extract flavour. Temperature was controlled at a constant room temperature (16-18°C) rather than tank by tank. No sulphites added during fermentation. The wine was then matured for 11 months in four 250-litre Qvevri units buried in a compartment filled with soil from their own vineyards in the basement of the winery. At Shimanouchi Fujimaru Winery, they use Qvevri made by Sergo Bozhadze, master Qvevri-maker.

Delaware is grown in their five vineyards in Kashiwara, Osaka, where they have survived the long rainy season in July, retaining their acidity and ripening at once in the full sunlight of August. The soil is brown forest soil with clay, with an average altitude of about 250 m and many of the vines are more than 30 years old. The grape variety grown on the vineyards is characterised by its small size and thick skin, which gives their wines a depth and Umami flavour. The ideal timing for Delaware for orange wine is a little past full ripeness, but in recent years the weather has been unstable and rainy during the harvest season, so they are taking care to harvest at the most balanced time, while finding the right timing.