ICHI-G Pinot Gray 2021 13.0%

Of the four fruit-growing regions in Hokkaido, Yoichi/Niki is an area of abundant fruit harvests. Good ventilation from mountains to southwest and sea breezes create an environment where grapes are less likely to suffer from gray rot. As vineyard is located at almost same latitude as Alsace, France, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and other hybrid varieties such as Yama Sauvignon, Yamasachi, Campbell Early, Niagara, Portland and Tabiji are grown here.

In this region, wineries use as few chemical fertilizers and herbicides as possible to grow grapes organically, which has led to their wine being certified as the first organic wine in Japan. Because Domaine Ichi's vineyards are spread out, it takes more than half a day to tour them. For better control, Mr Ueda uses technology: surveillance cameras to prevent damage caused by birds and animals, and weather sensors to collect data on accumulated temperature and humidity levels.

Wine is brewed from organically grown grapes, with wild yeast, without filtration or additives. “There's nothing to add, nothing to subtract, just the juice. The rest is taken care of by nature. Domaine ICHI's ideal goal is to produce a delicate, lively wine from grapes that can only be grown in Hokkaido, and a wine that goes well with meals. Mr. Ichiro Ueda, born in Hokkaido, spent his middle and high school years in California, USA.

After graduating from university in Japan, he often visited Hokkaido for work and made new friends. He then bought a quality 1.4 ha farm from a friend and opened Very Berry Farm Ueda in 2000 (currently, the farm covers 40 ha and grows a wide range of produce). When he opened the farm, the Campbell Early, Niagara and Portland varieties planted by previous owner were already growing. Although he had never thought of making wine, this is what sparked his interest in winemaking.

In 2009, he refurbished a barn next to the farm and opened his first winery “Very Berry Farm & Winery NIKI” to produce organic wine. Using JAS-certified organic grapes and an organic method, they succeeded in producing first certified organic wine in Japan. What's more, their organic blueberry wine was served on board ANA (All Nippon Airways) planes for over three years from 2014. With the winery too small to produce more volume, Domaine ICHI was newly established in 2020. The following year, as Domaine ICHI, it obtained organic certification for its wines in Japan.