GRAPE SHIP

Kurashiki, Okayama

People

Mr. Kazunori Matsui, winemaker at GRAPE SHIP, graduated from Tsuji Gakuen Culinary College in 2001 and worked as a French chef in restaurants in Osaka and Kobe until 2010, during which time he spent about a year studying in France. During his studies, he encountered the world of winemaking.

He then returned to Japan and started working in a restaurant again, but he could not forget about wine and, by extension, grapes. One day, what caught his eye was an advertisement for new farmers in the Funao area in his home town of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. Seeing this, he immediately applied.

He received agricultural training in 2010 and started growing grapes in 2012. In 2017 he joined Hirotake Ooka, winemaker and founder of La Grande Colline in the Rhône region, France, in setting up his winery in Japan. He then established GRAPE SHIP and his own winery was completed in 2021.

Vineyard

Okayama is known as the ‘Land of Sunshine’, as there is very little rainfall. The hours of sunshine and the amount of sunlight are also the best in Japan. As a grape-growing region, there is hardly a better place in Japan.

However, in recent years, more and more grape growers have abandoned their vineyards and greenhouses. There was no way to leave these wonderful sites and facilities unused. So, he has taken over one of the disused greenhouses and started growing wine grapes organically.

The soil is neither dry nor sticky, but somewhere in between, and is characterised by a well-drained soil, sandy loam. Although the yield is not high, the grapes are tasty, with sweetness and aroma concentrated in the berries.

The vineyard totals 1.5 ha, where Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Marsanne, Syrah, Grenache and Shokoshi, a variety indigenous to Japan, are grown, but Kazunori is particularly focused on Muscat of Alexandria.

Muscat of Alexandria is a type of Muscat grown in many parts of the world and also used in winemaking. Its history is of considerable antiquity, and if we unravel its origins, we can trace it back to Egypt on the African continent. Originally from Egypt, the grape is said to have spread from the port of Alexandria to all parts of the world. It has been loved for so long that Cleopatra is said to have eaten it, and has made her name as the ‘Queen of Fruits’, captivating people with its aromas.

Muscat of Alexandria has been grown in Funao since 1886. For more than 130 years since then, the cultivation of Muscat of Alexandria has been handed down from generation to generation by Funao's predecessors.

However, Muscat of Alexandria is now facing a critical situation. Farmers are ageing and reducing the size of their farms, and there are signs of abandonment of cultivation. In addition, the cultivation of other seedless, easy-to-eat varieties has increased over the years, replacing Muscat of Alexandria. Compared to the past, production of Muscat of Alexandria has declined dramatically.

He spent many days wondering what exactly he could do in this situation.

As a result, Kazunori decided to pass on Muscat of Alexandria to the next generation by devoting his life to the following two things. To cultivate the Muscat of Alexandria with dedication, and to let people taste the unique aroma and elegant sweetness of the grape when they eat it. And to show people how delicious the wine produced from this grape is.

Winemaking

When building the winery, Kazunori had one wish in mind. He wanted the building to be made mainly from wooden materials. Wine is vinified from grapes that grow in the land of Funao and the sun of the Seto Inland Sea, so he wanted to create a place surrounded by warmth and wood, rather than an artificial and industrial building.

He also put his thoughts into the outer walls. He wanted the winery to blend in with the mountains because he will always live in this land where he can hear the breath of nature. To create an exterior that does not distract from the stunning surrounding landscape, he randomly inlaid wood in two different colours.

A mezzanine floor has also been installed in the building for wine making. Kazunori believes in valuing the grapes' pure charm and flavour. For this reason, he has made it possible to use gravity flow to move the wine, instead of pumps.

Gravity flow is characterised by less impact during movement and less stress on the wine compared to pumps. This is why it is able to bring out the true flavour of the grapes.

The winery is not only Kazunori’s starting point, but also an irreplaceable place where he will continue to produce great wines for a long time to come. That is why he aimed to create a winery that would be in harmony with the land of Funao.

'Wines I make are made from organically grown grapes and nothing but grapes. The alcohol is low and the finish is light, but I believe this is the terroir of Japan, where it rains a lot. They also go well with Japanese food, so please enjoy them with Japanese food’ (Kazunori).

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