Villa d’Est Garden Farm and Winery is the project of Toyoo Tamamura, who is an artist and a writer. He moved here in 1992 and initially just planted a small…
Gamay 37, Haywire Gamay Noir 2016, Okanagan Valley, Canada
For the latest in this series on Gamay, I’m heading to Canada’s Okanagan Valley. Here, Gamay does really well: I reckon more should be planted! I’ve been following Haywire’s work…
Benjamin Bridge Brut 2012 Nova Scotia, Canada
I’ve written before about the sparkling wines from Nova Scotia producer Benjamin Bridge, which I like a great deal. The climate here is cool but moderated by the Bay of…
Nagano wine region, Japan (6) – Manns Wines Komoro Winery
Manns wines is owned by soy sauce producer Kikkoman, and there are two sites. This, the Komoro Winery, is where the proper Japan wines (the legal term for wines made…
The wines of Te Pā, Marlborough, New Zealand
The MacDonald family were Maori farmers in the Wairau Bar area. Haysley MacDonald began planting grapes here in 2003, and were a major grower selling to large companies. But since…
Nagano wine region, Japan (5) – Obusé Winery, Domaine Sogga
This is one of Nagano’s best producers. Domaine Sogga, also known as Obusé Winery, is based in Obusé and is run by Akihiko Soga (just the one ‘g’ in his…
Zephyr Wines, Marlborough, New Zealand
I remember meeting Ben Glover years ago (in 2006), when he was working for Brent Marris at Wither Hills. This is where he established his reputation, and later he developed…
Nagano wine region, Japan (4) – Kusunoki Winery
Shigeyuki Kusunoki started his vineyard in 2004, and then built his winery in 2011. This is a second career for Shigeyuki, who was a salary man for 20 years working…
Nagano wine region, Japan (3) – Hyashi Nouen
Hayashi Nouen is one of the big players in the Nagano region. Founded in 1911, they have 45 hectares of vines of their own and contract a further 30. In…