Aperture Farm and Winery
Tomi, Nagano

Grapes: Kyoho
Type: Red
Style: Dry, light-bodied
Colour: Pale ruby
Alcohol: 10%
Wild yeast: Yes
Any added sulphites: No
Filtered: No
Serving temperature: 10-13°C
Production: 612 bottles
Please store in a cool, dark place.

Tasting notes
Gorgeous aromas of Kyoho grape, red fruits such as strawberry, raspberry and redcurrant, with some minerality. Blood orange-like citrus at the back. Light attack, fruity and slightly bitter, mild acidity. Recommended to drink slightly chilled.

Food pairing
Spicy and aromatic meat dishes, Middle Eastern food, Indian food and Chinese food such as lamb kebab, biriyani, falafel, sweet and sour pork, shumai, Hui Guo Rou, bean starch vermicelli in mapo sauce, also good for BBQ in summer

Winemaking
Barrel-aged red wine made from Kyoho, a variety indigenous to Japan and representative of Tomi in Nagano, grown in the winery's own vineyards. The vineyards, located at an altitude of 600-800 metres, use only Bordeaux mixture as pesticide, and no chemical fertilisers, insecticides or fungicides. The winery has grown the grapes with a focus on producing small, dark-coloured berries to make the flavour more concentrated. The winemaker of the winery Ryo Tanabe aims to use the grapes to produce wines with a taste of European varieties such as Gamay.

The grapes were placed in stainless steel tanks in 80% destemmed 20% whole bunches and underwent carbonic maceration for 10 days. After that the grapes were crushed by foot and punched down by hand once or twice a day while monitoring fermentation. Pressed at the end of fermentation. 7 months matured in barrel. No sulphites added, fermented by wild yeasts. From the winemaker: "Please enjoy this wine casually and without thinking about anything else, I promise you will be happy!"