COCO FARM & WINERY (Vinified by 10R Winery in Hokkaido)Ashikaga, Tochigi Grapes: Zweigelt 100% (from Hokkaido)Type: RedStyle: Dry, medium-bodiedColour: Deep purple Alcohol: 12.5%Wild yeast: YesAny added sulphites: 30 ppm Filtered: NoServing temperature: 15-18°CProduction: 5,543 bottlesPlease store in a cool, dark place. Tasting notesComplex aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry jam, thyme, bay leaf, sandalwood, cinnamon, liquorice, smoke, chocolate, coffee, dried meat and black pepper. Both fresh and dried berries flavour. Fresh acidity and long finish. Food pairingVenison carpaccio, Brandade (emulsion of salt cod, olive oil, and potatoes), mushroom roasted in foil with butter, chicken liver cooked in sweet and spicy sauce, Tafelspitz (simmered veal in broth served with a mix of minced apples and horseradish), Sri Lankan curry with green beans, spaghetti bolognese, pizza alla Bismarck, boar meat hot pot, blue cheese, Kinpira Gobo (burdock roots cooked in soy sauce and sugar), Japanese-style grilled eel WinemakingThe grapes were gently crushed and fermented with wild yeasts at gentle temperatures, then matured for 16 months in old and new French oak barrels. Nothing is added to the wine except for a very small addition of sulphites at bottling, and it is not filtered. Until 2027, the wine continues to be cool and refreshing, with fruit and fresh acidity; from 2028, the tannins smooth out with age, and the flavour and savouriness become more dominant. It was a difficult year, but the wine has so much potential. COCO TOARU series is a series of wines made by Bruce Gutlove, winemaker of 10R (“TOARU” in Japanese reading) Winery in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido and director of COCO FARM & WINERY, from grapes in Hokkaido with natural flavours of the right variety in the right place. The wines are vinified at the 10R Winery. COCO FARM & WINERY considers that Zweigelt is a very important variety. Wine is directly affected by climate change. Despite this, Zweigelt makes it possible to produce high-quality, deep red wine even in Hokkaido, the coldest part of Japan. The wine is made from Zweigelt grapes from two vineyards in Yoichi, Hokkaido: Nakagawa Nouen is “hidden” among a series of hills in Nobori districtʼs northeast sector, a very sheltered spot with sandy soils and little wind. Konishi Nouen is in a far more exposed site, a hilltop overlooking the town of Yoichi and the Japan Sea. 2018 was a year like a rollercoaster. Continuous rain in early spring, cool weather during the flowering period and several typhoons hitting Hokkaido meant that humidity remained high in the vineyards of Yoichi until the end of August. However, autumn suddenly brought warm and dry weather on the upside, which allowed them to harvest the best grapes that were fully ripe.
