About Anco
- Style
- White
- Grape Varieties
- Delaware
- Price Range
- ¥3,200-4,400
Anco is part of Fattoria AL FIORE's NECO series, a line of wines named after the winery's resident cats and made from grapes sourced across the Tohoku region (historically from grower Toshinobu Kazama's Delaware vines in Minami-Yonezawa, Yamagata). It is an orange (skin-contact) wine made from Delaware grapes: the fruit is gently foot-crushed, fermented on skins for an extended period (roughly 3-4 months in recent vintages), basket-pressed, and aged in old oak and amphora without fining or filtration. Made with no added yeast, no added sugar or acid, and no sulphites, Anco channels Delaware's natural tannin and floral, grain-like aroma into a structured, savory orange wine that loses the grape's typical 'foxy' Labrusca character through long maceration. Anco is released annually with vintage variation, reflecting the winery's practice of tasting each year's harvest before deciding on vinification.
Anco shows how far Delaware — usually dismissed as a table grape — can go with patient skin contact: tannic, savory, and unmistakably Tohoku.
New to wine?
A friendly first step into orange wine — Delaware's natural tannin gives texture without heavy funk.
Food Pairings
Anco's savory, tannic structure pairs well with roasted or grilled vegetables, aged cheeses, and umami-rich Japanese dishes. Its skin-contact texture stands up to grilled chicken and mushroom dishes, and it complements fermented foods thanks to its own natural acidity.
When to drink it
A relaxed dinner with grilled vegetables or a home-cooked Japanese meal; good for sharing.
Terroir & Winemaking
Delaware grapes, hand-harvested and gently foot-crushed, fermented on skins with indigenous (wild) yeast only — no added yeast, sugar, acid, or sulphites. Extended skin contact (about 3-4 months in recent vintages) is followed by basket pressing and aging in old oak barrels and amphora, unfined and unfiltered. An earlier (2017) vintage recorded 11% ABV; ABV is not consistently disclosed across later vintages, so it should be treated as an approximate reference rather than a fixed spec.
About the producer
Fattoria AL FIOREAdditive-free natural wines from a converted schoolhouse in Miyagi.川崎町, 宮城県 · Founded 2015Visit the producer page →Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Anco?
- Anco is an orange (skin-contact) wine from Fattoria AL FIORE's NECO series, made from Delaware grapes and named after one of the winery's resident cats.
- What does Anco taste like?
- It shows Delaware's characteristic tannin alongside floral, grain-like aromas, with notes of citrus and stone fruit reported in more recent vintages and a long, savory finish.
- How is Anco made?
- Foot-crushed Delaware grapes are fermented on their skins with only wild yeast for several months, then basket-pressed and aged in old oak and amphora without fining or filtration — no additives, no sulphites.
- What food does Anco pair with?
- Its savory, tannic profile pairs well with grilled vegetables, aged cheese, and umami-rich Japanese dishes such as dashi-based dishes or fermented sides.
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