When an apparel executive turned 60, he didn't retire, he actually moved back to rural Shiga, Japan, built an art museum, and started a winery from absolute scratch so his guests would have something to drink while looking at pottery! While the rest of the industry tried to make crystal-clear, textbook wine, Hitomi Winery went completely rogue by fully embracing raw, cloudy "Nigori" wine. They took a humble table grape and turned it into an absolute cult classic. The "h3 Caribou" (standing for Hitomi-like, Handmade, and Happou, meaning sparkling) is pure Yamagata-grown Delaware. Naturally fermented with indigenous yeasts, it gets its electric energy by having fresh grape juice added right before bottling to trigger a wild secondary fermentation with absolutely zero added sulfur. Unfined, unfiltered, and unapologetically hazy. Expect a massive hit of crushed green apple, fresh lychee, and tart white peach, all riding on a fierce, thirst-quenching fizz. Utterly crushable.
