Koshu Sparkling Wine

Koshu Sparkling Wine is Seven Cedars Winery's traditional-method sparkling expression of Koshu, Japan's indigenous grape, made entirely from fruit grown by father-and-son growers Kazuo and Junya Shirasawa in Minaminoro, Ichinomiya, Fuefuki City, Yamanashi. Although Ichinomiya's vineyards typically ripen earlier than those in Katsunuma, the Shirasawas' plot sits in a slight depression that limits direct sun exposure, keeping the grapes' color pale and preserving natural acidity even at a later harvest — qualities the winery selected specifically for sparkling winemaking. The 2023 vintage was harvested September 24-25 and underwent primary fermentation in a stainless steel tank, followed by secondary fermentation and lees aging in bottle for 14 to 15 months (méthode traditionnelle), with riddling and disgorging carried out by hand, bottle by bottle, in winter 2025. No sugar was added, though the bottle fermentation left a touch of natural residual sweetness, giving an off-dry style. The result is a fine, persistently bubbled sparkling wine with sweet citrus aromas of early mandarin, kumquat, plum and quince, a palate of yuzu-peel bitterness and crisp minerality layered with nutty, well-integrated acidity, building umami through the mid-palate with a lingering hint of sweetness.