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Message from the Owner
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Katsunuma Jo zo Winery dates back to 1937, when ourfounder,
Yoshichika Aruga started making wine on his
own, while simultaneously managing the small
silk-reeling industry at the region of Katsunuma,
where grape-growing had begun over a millennium
before.
Since then, we've run a company in line with
the credo:we shall only make wines of
great quality even if we produce just one
barrel.
Now we've kept on trying to produce quality
wine that is appreciated over the world.
Katsunuma Jo zo's initiatives
in the past
In Yamanashi Prefecture, vines traditionally
have been trained on to overhead wires or
platforms so that the bunches will hang lower
than the foliage and be more freely exposed
to circulating air.
In 1990, we adopted a new method of cultivation,
Vertical Shoot Positioning (V. S. P.),
to the grapes of European origins such as
Merlot and Chardonnay in our own vineyards.
We always seek new possibilities and the
best methods in a monsoonal climate, in which
farming is far from easy.
In 2003 and 2004 in a row, our wines with
casky flavor, Aruga Branca Pipa, got the
silver award at Vinalies
Internationales sponsored by the Union d'OEnologue
de France. It was the first development as
Japanese wine.
This led the other wineries in Katsunuma
region to aim to reach onto the world market.
In 2007, Aruga Branca Issehara was exported
to the EU for the first time as Japanese-made
wine through partnership with Chateau Pape-Clement
in Bordeaux.
Recently, with introducing practice of restricted
yield and clonal selection, we succeeded
in realizing the
potential of Koshu. As a result, our Koshus
have attracted many wine lovers both at home
and abroad.
Katsunuma Jo zo's dream in the
future
We believe that wine is an expression wrought
by man's efforts and nature.The Koshu, as
the UC at Davisanalyzed, is the descendant
of the vines carried along the Silk Road
to Japan 1,200 years ago. That is, it's
Vitis vinifera.
Katsunuma Jo zo as a small boutique producer
with a more-than-70 year-long history of
wine-making will continue to extract maximum
character and flavor from Koshu,
hand in hand with vine growers in the region.
To ensure this, we pursue quality,
not quantity.
We will become a serious international contender
by producing 100% Koshu, reflecting the heart
and soul of Katsunuma's terroir.
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