Irenka
イレンカ
A tiny Pinot Noir-only domaine in Sorachi, Hokkaido
Irenka is a boutique Pinot Noir specialist vineyard in the Kamihoro district of Kurisawa-cho, Iwamizawa City, in Hokkaido's Sorachi wine region. Founded in 2012 by vignerons David Ashley and Kuniyo Nagai, the winery takes its name from the Ainu word for "ideal" or "hope." On roughly 1.3 hectares of former fallow land they grow nothing but Pinot Noir - around 3,800 to 4,000 vines across several Dijon clones - using lutte raisonnee practices that avoid chemical fertilizers and herbicides. Grapes are hand-harvested and destemmed, fermented with wild yeast, left unfiltered, and aged in seasoned oak barrels, with winemaking carried out at the nearby 10R Winery under winemaker Bruce Gutlove. Irenka calls its philosophy "Slow Wine," an extension of the slow food ethos, aiming to let the Sorachi terroir express itself with minimal human intervention. The tiny production is highly allocated and prized among Japanese wine collectors.
www.irenka.co.jp/ ↗Cuvées
No cuvées registered yet.
Who Is This For?
For collectors seeking one of Japan's rarest, terroir-driven Pinot Noirs, and fans of minimal-intervention, natural winemaking.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is Irenka's vineyard located?
- In the Kamihoro district of Kurisawa-cho, Iwamizawa City, part of Hokkaido's Sorachi wine region.
- What grape variety does Irenka grow?
- Exclusively Pinot Noir, planted across several Dijon clones on about 1.3 hectares of former fallow land.
- Who founded Irenka and when?
- Vignerons David Ashley and Kuniyo Nagai founded Irenka in 2012, planting the first vines themselves.
- How is Irenka wine made?
- Grapes are hand-harvested and hand-destemmed, fermented with wild yeast, and aged unfiltered in seasoned oak barrels, with winemaking carried out at the nearby 10R Winery.
- What does the name "Irenka" mean?
- It is an Ainu word meaning "ideal" or "hope."