Ben says
★★ Great Wine “Another delicate entry from Ayana Misawa, this time working her father’s favourite Hishiyama vineyard. This wine has even more depth and density than its very delicate siblings Kayagatake and Private Reserve, with a herbier, maybe funkier, aroma and much more apple notes to complement its citrus note. The vines here have grown on granite soil, and while I know the grapes aren’t sucking up the granite from the ground there is a ruggedness to this wine when tasted side by side with the Kayagatake from its softer, volcanic soils. As with all Misawa’s wines, the 2022 Hishiyama is another standout.“
KEY POINTS
Varietal Koshu with 11.0% abv. The vineyard is on granite soils at an elevation of 500-600m above sea level. Fermentation and maturation in stainless steel tanks.
Grown in: Katsunama, Yamanashi, JAPAN.
Food Pairing
Light Asian soups like ramen with plenty of fresh, green pak choi, peppers, corn and mushrooms, or any white fish dish.
Disclosure & Price
Tasted at the Hallgarten portfolio wine tasting. Find in the UK for circa £25.00 at VINVM.
Reviewed and tasted: 20/02/2024
About the Producer
Grace Winery was established in 1923 and has become synonymous on the export market with some of the finest Koshu wines of Japan. The current generation winemaker is Ayana Misawa, who continues her father Shigekazu Misawa’s philosophy that great wine is made in the vineyard. Grace Winery was the first Japanese winery to use the European method of Vertical Shoot Positioning in the vineyard.
