No.9795   May 2007

Exceptional Winemaking by Suntory Tomi-no-oka Winery
Barrel Fermented Koshu 2004 Takes Gold at Prestigious
French International Wine Competition

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Barrel Fermented Koshu 2004, a special vintage from Suntory Tomi-no-oka Winery, was honored with a gold medal in Bordeaux this past April at the 31st Annual Challenge International du Vin. The event is France's largest international wine competition, where wine has been judged annually for more than 30 years.

This winery attempts to capture the distinctive character of Tomi-no-oka's terroir at its best. All stages of winemaking are managed, from soil cultivation to brewing to aging.

Only a limited offering of Barrel Fermented Koshu has been available each year at the Tomi-no-oka wine shop since 2004. In these vintages, the winery has given wine lovers a taste of what makes the hearty local Koshu grape variety from their fields special. Aging in French oak barrels gently imparts oakiness to this native Japanese grape.

Tomi-no-oka remains committed to winemaking with a focus on this traditional Japanese grape.

• Highlights of Barrel Fermented Koshu 2004

Made exclusively from Koshu grapes carefully grown and ripened on-site. The grapes are harvested late in the season for optimal aroma and flavor. To more fully concentrate the Koshu aroma and taste, some juice from the pressed grapes is frozen and the ice removed, after which a portion of the concentrated juice is used. Small French oak barrels from Tronçais are used for fermentation at a low temperature, followed by batonnage, when the yeasty lees are stirred. The ripened grapes yield an elegant aroma that is nicely balanced with the enticing mellow oakiness, for a dry yet gently rounded wine.

Summary of Award