2022 Amanatsu

For more than 20 years, Hirotake Ooka has built an enormous respect for his methods and the wines of Domaine de la Grande Colline in Cornas. In 2017, however, he chose to return to his homeland with the start of La Grande Colline Japon in sunny Okayama, where he found a terroir very similar to Cornas.

Ooka has been strongly inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka and his teachings from the 1970s on refraining from the use of pesticides along with a hands-off approach while working with the cycles of nature. In a way, the circle is now complete, as Hirotake now buys Amantsu from Masanobu Fukuoka’s grandson, who has taken over the farm.

Amanatsu mostly resembles an orange, but Hirotake approaches the citrus fruit as if it were a grape variety. The entire fruit is pressed slowly, after which the must ferments naturally resulting in a drink that belongs in its own category. It is a gastronomic drink and an obvious companion to food – yellow and slightly sparkling with low alcohol and a distinct bitterness from the skins, which is kept perfectly in check by the acidity and a bit of residual sugar.

Of course, Hirotake Ooka also makes wine as we know it from both local Japanese varieties (e.g. Shokoshi and Yamabudou) and European grape varieties (e.g. Syrah and Muscat d’Alexandrie), which are produced with respect for Fukuoka’s teachings. Ooka’s two decades of experience are evident, and his uncompromising approach is today part of developing Japanese wine and placing it on the map.