Of Koshu & Katsunuma

The Koshu of Katsunuma

Japan, and especially the Katsunuma valley we were visiting, prides itself on their local grape varietals, mostly so Koshu & Muscat Bailey A. Having sampled mass-produced examples of both on the lead up to our visit, we were anticipating some more diverse offerings from the small-scale wineries on our itinerary. As a bit of history, Koshu is a native grape, approximately 98% vitis vinifera but still commonly used as a table grape. It tends to be quite airy & needs a bit of acidity to perk it up from what we've learned. Muscat Bailey A is a crossing of American varietal, Bailey A & Muscat Hamburg, typically very light & fragrant. Both Koshu & Muscat Bailey A share a distinctive subtlety which is a perfect match for the extreme subtlety of the flavours in most Japanese cuisine. In Katsunuma in particular, where mildew is a constant challenge due to high rainfall, it is the exception rather than the rule to find wines that have not been chaptalised in order to increase the alcohol volume, where wines with no sugar added during fermentation (that's the chaptalisation) tend toward an alcohol of 8%.
While our first visit of the day, to Marifuji, left much to be desired in terms of wine, it was the only opportunity we had for a cellar tour. And an unusual cellar it was at that. With no temperature control in the wine storage area & old sake storage tanks being repurposed for wine storage, we did express mild concern about the excessive heat common in the area. Our Sommelier-turned-winemaker host seemed unfazed. In turn, we were rather unfazed by the wine, unfortunately.
We found a completely different approach at Katsanuma Winery, just 10 minutes walk away.
Here, we were greeted with the option to taste 5 current release wines - which ended up closer to 10. We tasted Koshu in so many sharps & forms, I was absolutely astonished. From unoaked, lightly sur lie to aged & oaked examples, from sticky sweet to wines concentrated by freezing the must & removing the water. What a showcase of a very diverse bit of fruit, supported by somewhat unexpected labels - all designed by an octogenarian woman in Portugal.
Our next stop entailed a walk up a hill, past numerous thick-trunked single vines trellised to the height of a compact delivery vehicle & covering almost an entire field, carrying up to 500 bunches.
Here, at Grace Vineyards, we met with the winemaker - a student of Bordeaux who has spent some time harvesting in South Africa (at Cape Point Vineyards & Hermanuspietersfontein respectively). While the majority of winemakers in the region are content with buying fruit from these typically bulk-bearing vines, at Grace there is much more stringent focus on the vineyards with massal management being practised in a select vineyard planted in 2002 in the Toribira region - touted to be the best vines in Japan. And the results are evident from tasting & confirmed by Decanter with one wine scoring 95 & another being awarded Best Wine in Asia - although you'll never know from the  bottle. They don't use the stickers - they spoil the aesthetic.
A longer walk brought us to a more diverse winery, Kurambom, focusing on natural & organic wines. Another interesting set of labels - this time inspired by the artist's imagination after tasting the wines. From a Koshu bottled after 1 month's fermentation to the bottle of "happiness vintage" Chardonnay that had been open for 3 weeks & a sparkling Aldiron (another new grape) that was pretty much as close to Fanta Grape as one can imagine; we certainly saw a different side of Japanese winemaking. A side we would explore further at Haramo, where blended grapes abound. Their Rouge includes an array of experimental crossings resulting in a fresh, tart cherry, gummy kind of palate. Their variety of Koshu showed the impact of altering harvest time, yeast, fining, barrel age, bottle age & lees contact.
By this point, we were well & truly Koshu-ed out & made our way back to Kofu to contemplate the intricacies of Koshu.
Thank goodness that was before we fell down the rabbit hole that is sake!

Wine Joy in Japan

After the trials of planning & executing a wine tour in China (all well worth the effort in the end, however) - planning for Japan was a dream! Detailed brochures & maps of our selected area, Yamanashi, prepared just the year before by the tourism department gave us a good steer. These were supported by many suggestions & bits of advice from the wineries themselves - we were even reminded to wear sunscreen! The locals in nearby Kofu (and even Tokyo), where we based ourselves, were proudly aware of the wine industry in nearby Katsunuma & very happy to share their personal favourites, another contrast to Yinchuan. From a country where approximately 50% of the population are alcohol intolerant & only 3% of the drinkers prefer wine, we were impressed. We were rather optimistic about what lay ahead, despite several warnings that there may not be English staff available when we planned to visit.

Arriving in Kofu the day before our winelands excursion, we keenly planned to go about laying some groundwork in the form some pre-emptive tasting at wine bars dotted along the high street. High prices coupled with small by-the-glass selections & the ever-present "seat charge" put a swift end to that idea, especially since most Japanese wine is more expensive in Japan than imports (KWV is the staple South African representative, we learned) & only 1/3 of the wine sold in Japan is local; however we did manage to find a small gem with good quality wines at less than extortionate prices. A bit of chatting explained why many Japanese wines are bottles in 720mls (using traditional sake bottles produced locally which are cheaper), an indication of a keen awareness of South African wines & suggestions for some splendid dinner.

Well sated with a deliciously simple tempura dinner, we looked forward to quality wines ahead.

Silver Linings at Silver Heights

After much debate on the best way to spend our last morning in Ningxia - to hedge bets & stay near the city, visiting Silver Height's original facility before our flight or get an early start & venture an hour toward the mountains to their new location built in 2014. We chose the latter & were well rewarded for our sense of adventure. From very little on the way to the next village to the sudden bustle around the local tourist attraction, a film studio used for many period movies; and back to almost nothing; right at the wooden watch tower & we were there. There being a large red low warehouse-like building, 8 times the size of the facility in the city.
We were met by a bubbly American, Alexa, who heads up marketing & communications. An interesting contrast to our previous experiences, with fast flowing English and outsider insights into the industry. Winemaker, Emma, shared extremely insightful anecdotes around  both the industry - both past & present. From government controls over varietals imported (explaining the high concentration of Bordeaux varietals), to terroir, pricing to recover costs of setting up wineries by the current generation & the Gold Rush for land in Ningxia.

Silver Heights began as a bit of a premonition on the part of winemaker, Emma's, father. He planted the first vines in the area, with the belief that there was potential for successful winemaking, and promptly shipped Emma off to Bordeaux to study winemaking in 1999 where she met husband, Thierry, who returned to China with her. Husband & wife team are now responsible for the increasingly well-reputed wines thanks to Emma's previous employer, a wine distributor, who told her to bugger off & make wine full time after tasting some of what she was making in her spare time.
And it's easy to see why.

From a floral yet fresh Chardonnay (the first release), to beautifully structured & layered reds - The Summit (Cab Sauv, Shiraz, Merlot blend) being described by dear Jancis Robinson as "just the wine to confound prejudices".

And, overall, the wine we experienced in China did just that. Ganbei, Ningxia!

Sticks & Stones & Vines at Yuanshi

As the day drew to a close, we had one final stop ahead - the first our driver was actually certain of the location of.
Also, certainly the most beautiful we had visited to date. The chateau, the largest in the region, is a tribute to the owner's (who never drinks a drop of wine) love for rock & stone, showcased in a multitude of forms. From the buildings themselves, to intricate carvings & artworks tastefully dotted throughout; and soon to include a rock museum as well. Construction on the chateau began in 2008, to be completed in 2014. This seems an awfully long time on paper, but a walk through the winery & surrounds quickly reveals the extreme attention to detail, accounting for the time spent. From stone & rock collected throughout China, to ceilings lined with interwoven twigs to buffer sound & boundary walls constructed from rounded  tiles to allow birds to nest.
Accompanied by winemaker, Sujie, we toured the production facility, comprising only machinery imported from Italy; the extensive cellar & private cellaring for clients who purchase whole barrels & bottle with their own labels; through a number of tasteful displays to the tasting room where the ceiling is crafted from the skeleton of the hull of an old ship, with the tables & chairs crafted from the same wood.
Here, we tasted through a lovely, bronze Decanter winning unoaked  Chardonnay, of which very little was bottled due to limited demand for white wine in the local market (the rest of the harvest was used for brandy production); a 2013 Cab Sauv with a spot of 2014 added to perk it up; the estate's flagship red blend, Soul Mountain (Cab Sauv, Cab Franc & Merlot); and a very interesting private project of Sujie's - an unfiltered & unfined Cab Sauv 2014 of which only 800 bottles were produced. While we were delighted at Te honour & impressed by each wine in turn, Sujie remained critical of her work.

We felt this was a fantastic end to a fascinating & highly rewarding day. We looked forward to day 3.

Jubilant Jing's Jia Bein Lan

Named after a poem about 1 of the 8 revered landscapes of the Ming Dynasty, Helan Qingxue claims the best view of this landscape at the foot of the Helan Mountains. Established in 2005 by a viticulturist, winemaker & business manager, the winery was the first in China to win an international accolade in 2011 in the form of a Decanter International Trophy. The wines, called Jia Bei Lan or "Little Feet" in honour of the birth of dynamic winemaker, Jing's daughter, have continued to grow from strength to strength since with growing export opportunities & a stream du stream of praise from international wine lovers. All of this we learned from the obligatory corporate video with a few added facts from Jing herself.

Our host was happy to meet South Africans after playing host to a South African winemaker in 2012 during the inaugural Ningxia International Wine Challenge - a competition created & funded by the local government with a little help from the participating wineries, which allows a selection of winemakers from across the globe to produce a vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon over 2 years with a cash prize awarded to the wine judged as best. There are 3 South African participants in the current challenge.

We toured the again, immaculate cellar, tasting the new vintage of entry-level Cab on its way to bottle as we made our way around; passing locally made bee-hive shaped tanks (which Jing was the first to use due the shape being ideal for red maceration) & barrels signed by the many notable international visitors while discussing the enthusiasm of Chinese wine-lovers to gain their WSET Level 4 qualifications, with over 20 Level 4 graduates to date.

This led us to the Cellardoor which is set to launch in the next year including a simple food offering. Lined up to taste, we had an unwooded Chardonnay in a Riesling bottle (tinned peas & lime on the nose with apricots & citrus on the palate); a Cab Franc Rosé (slightly sweet despite its savoury nose); a Cab Merlot blend (Moroccan spice & grippy tannins); & a Reserve Cab (eucalyptus & light violets). Again - all Bordeaux varietals. From Jing's perspective, these are the best varietals for the area which requires grapes with a short growing period to allow sufficient time for the vines to rest after harvest,  before being buried for winter (an activity which accounts for 30% of the production cost of the wine). Thoroughly enamoured with the wines, the winery & the winemaker, it was unfortunately time for us to bid farewell. No time for us to rest; our next stop beckoned.

A Lot of Luck at Legacy Peak

Legacy Peak, our next stop, could not be more of a contrast to Changyu. Simple & understated, the only show of pomp being a row of empty wine bottles from around the world which the director prized (including a Vilafonte Series C 2008) & a small plate of Iberian ham on the table laid out for our tasting. There was even shock at the idea of not being allowed to taste when we enquiries whether there would, indeed, be wine on the cards.

The first winery in the area to export their wines, Legacy Peak is also the oldest vineyard in the Ningxia province with vines planted in 1996, set amongst the 1000 year old Xixia King Tombs. This certainly adds to the scenery but puts the vines & expansion plans at risk should the government go ahead with plans to reclaim the land the farm occupies. Not that there isn't enough risk as is with the icy cold winters - every year approximately 20 - 30% of vines up to 6 years of age don't survive despite being bent over & buried up to the first trellis line. Sometimes all that survives are the cement posts - preferred to wood as they're cheaper, easily available & last longer than the traditional wooden posts. The 450 mu (approximately 3,75 ha) of organic vines sit at 1246m above sea level & consist mainly of - you guessed it - Bordeaux varietals Chardonnay, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon with a spot of a French hybrid grape, Marselan (a combination of Cab Sauv & Grenache). There's also a sense here that China is still finding its feet with which varietals are best suited to the land and what the defining characteristic of Chinese wine will be.

We dutifully set about exploring this. The Chardonnay beautifully floral on the nose with fresh litchi & elegant citrus on the palate; the rosé a little sweet (thanks, market) tinged with geraniums; the Cabernets - estate & flaghip, Kalavinka, both bold with slightly spicy red fruits & not afraid of ageing.
We further explored, with many toasts, over a generous lunch of local lamb with the team. We were back in luck, twice over.