The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Cultivation of internationally registered grapes spreads
IKEDA — The cultivation of Yamasachi red grapes has been spreading in eastern and northern Hokkaido. The grape variety, which was produced by the Tokachi-Ikeda Research Institute for Viticulture and Enology in Hokkaido town of Ikeda, was registered by the Francebased International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) last November.
At a press conference held by the town at the Ikeda Wine Castle on Dec. 1 last year, Masanori Kawaguchi, 70, former head of the institute and regarded as the father of Yamasachi, offered his congratulations on the international registration of the variety.
“The nurturing of grape varieties is an everlasting project. I am truly delighted that Yamasachi has been internationally registered, thanks to the efforts made by those officials in charge of breeding the varieties and other people concerned,” Kawaguchi said.
It took about 30 years for Yamasachi to become a reliable variety for producing wine in Japan, following repeated crossings of varieties — on more than 3,000 occasions — since 1978. Kawaguchi savored the joy of seeing Yamasachi become the third Japanese variety registered with the OIV, following Koshu and Muscat Bailey A (both from Yamanashi Prefecture).
Kawaguchi made up his mind to produce wine following a year of study in Germany during his college days. He got involved in the nurturing of grape varieties at the research institute in 1975.
On one occasion when he was out gathering pollen of yamabudo (crimson glory vine) grapes, which were growing wild in a riverside area of the town, the growl of a brown bear behind him caused him to jump up and flee.
In 1978, he selected yamabudo grapes from several locations where they grew wild in the town and crossed them repeatedly with Kiyomi grapes, a variety for producing wine. As a result, 28 varieties that showed improved resistance to cold temperatures were created. Using saplings of the finest of those varieties, he continued cultivating improved grapes.
In 1993, Kawaguchi became the head of the Tokachi-Ikeda Research Institute for Viticulture and Enology. The Yamasachi vines displayed much better resistance to the cold weather that’s common in eastern Hokkaido, and from the harvested grapes he was able to produce a wine that had a strong acidity. After pushing so many years through hardships, he tasted Yamasachi wine for the first time in 1999 and was surprised more with its aroma than its taste. “I was struck by the rough and deep aroma,” he recalled.
The charm of Yamasachi lies in its distinctive aroma. With the OIV registration, it has become possible to print the grape variety’s name on the labels of wines for export to countries in the European Union.
Yamasachi was once rated unfavorably by some wine experts at home, with comments such as, “It lacks elegance in its aroma.” But Kawaguchi feels that his past efforts have been rewarded with the wine that has come to be rated highly for “having a powerful fruity aroma, peculiar to yamabudo.”
“I thought that the natural features of Ikeda town have been evaluated,” he said. “We have without a doubt been able to come to the starting line at last.”
Yet another thing he is delighted about is that the cultivation of Yamasachi has been spreading in eastern and northern Hokkaido — areas known for freezing temperatures — such as in Teshikaga, Tsurui and Nakatombetsu.
About the future potential of Yamasachi, nurtured with the natural features of Hokkaido, Kawaguchi smiled and said, “I am looking forward to seeing what sorts of wine in its class will be produced in the future.”