Domaine Ito
Okazaki, Aichi

Grapes: Delaware
Type: White
Style: Dry, medium-bodied
Colour: Pale amber
Alcohol: 11.0%
Any added sulphites: 7 ppm 
Filtered: Yes (coarse filter)
Serving temperature: 10-13°C
Production: 597 bottles
Please store in a cool, dark place.

Tasting notes
A calm and layered white wine with expressive aromas of ripe lemon peel, quince, apricot jam, and subtle dairy notes reminiscent of yoghurt. The palate offers generous flavours of ripe yellow fruit, balanced by refreshing acidity and a gentle hint of bitterness. Notes of dried herbs, apple, and Delaware grapes linger on the clean, elegant finish. Although moderate in alcohol, the wine shows impressive body and concentration thanks to its generous fruit character. It continues to evolve beautifully and can be enjoyed over approximately five days after opening.

Food pairing
Saikyo-style black cod, pork sauté with lemon butter sauce, prawn wontons, burrata with roasted apricots, corn tempura fritters, Hainanese chicken rice, salt-grilled Spanish mackerel, chawanmushi (Japanese savoury egg custard), salmon rillettes, leek and bacon quiche, seafood shumai, Cantonese-style steamed fish.

Winemaking
This wine is made from Delaware, a naturally crossed American grape variety. Delaware is characterised by its small berries, pronounced sweetness, moderate acidity, and reddish-purple skins. Introduced to Japan from the United States around 150 years ago, it has become well suited to Japan’s humid maritime climate and is now widely cultivated in regions such as Yamagata, Yamanashi, and Osaka.

The wine is produced from fully ripened Delaware grapes grown in the estate vineyard. After destemming and crushing, the grapes were pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. Following racking, the wine was transferred back to stainless steel before being moved into neutral oak barrels for five months of ageing.

Only 7 ppm of sulphur dioxide was added at bottling. The wine was filtered using a coarse 50-micron filter. No chaptalisation or acid adjustment was carried out.

The vineyard is located in a corner of a quiet residential area in the northern part of Okazaki in Aichi, almost in the middle of Honshu island. It receives sunlight from sunrise to sunset, has wide openings for good ventilation and well-drained sandy-gravel soils. It is a very favourable environment for viticulture. The winery respects the cycles of nature, adopts grass growing organic farming, minimises the use of pesticides. 

The 2025 growing season was marked by considerable variation in weather, from cool spring temperatures to a wet early summer and intense heat later in the season. Despite these challenges, stable conditions during harvest allowed healthy fruit to be picked in generous quantities. The resulting grapes combine vibrant freshness with generous fruit character, capturing the distinctive personality of the vintage.

The flower knot on the label is a Japanese culture that values connections between people. It expresses the wishes of the winery's representative, Mr Takashi Ito, towards his wines. 

Nutrition Facts per 100ml
Energy: 73 kcal
Fat: 0 g
 - Saturates: 0 g
Carbohydrate: 2.0 g
 - Sugar: 2.0 g
Protein: 0.1 g
Salt: 0g