We are writing on the eve of another winter season. This will be our twelfth winter in Nagano and, while we enjoy every season living on the slopes of Mount Kurohime, winter is special here -- marked by low temperatures and deep snow. Waking up to two meters of fresh white snow is not unusual. But we are prepared -- our snow plow is as big as a small car.
Tag: #wine
July – August 2023 Wine Reviews
It may be surprising to some, but the main crop in our farming village of Tomigahara is not rice but corn! (Note: Tomigahara is an administrative sub-unit of Shinanomachi town in Nagano Prefecture). Our neighborhood farmers CANNOT grow rice here since the altitude is above 600 meters. Previously, the main crops were white radishes and buckwheat (the main ingredient in Japanese soba), but over the past decade more and corn has been planted and has become a major cash crop for the village since it does not have to be marketed through the local agricultural cooperative.
August 2022 Wine Recommendations
Last month, we wrote about Nobutaka Hirano and the support that he was providing to other small winemakers in Nagano with the making and marketing of their wines. We noted that Hirano had learned his craft locally, working at the Villa d'Est winery and the facilities at Arc en Vigne, an educational center for winemaking established by poet and winemaker Toyoo Tamamura.
June 2020 Recommendations
ALPS markets a very nice Chardonnay for 2700 yen under its Musee du Vin Maestro brand. This wine has a nice gold color and a fruity, fresh taste. But for 300 yen more a bottle, you get an entirely different experience: The Dynastie Shiojiri brand exclusively uses grapes from fields that are managed directly by the company rather than from contract farmers.
Complete List of Nagano Winery Online Shops
Below is a complete list of Nagano wineries with online shops and a link to each. The list was compiled by Mr. Junya Hanaoka who oversees wine in the product promotion department of Nagano prefecture. You can also see some of our recommended online shops and wines here. Those are the "top hits", great and … Continue reading Complete List of Nagano Winery Online Shops
April 2020 Recommendations
Like us, we suspect that most of you are hunkered down waiting out the coronavirus. But despite the “isolation”, we continue to enjoy Nagano wines ordered online directly from the wineries. You can too! Our recommendations this month focus on Nagano wineries that offer a wide selection of interesting wines, payment by credit card and … Continue reading April 2020 Recommendations
Friends of Nagano Wine Tasting and Dinner–POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19
We have decided to postpone this dinner event due to COVID-19. The dinner event is meant to bring together people passionate about wine. We do not believe that we can do so, and do so safely, in the current environment. We hope to be in touch soon with a new date for the event. *** … Continue reading Friends of Nagano Wine Tasting and Dinner–POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19
March 2020 Recommendations
March is an in between month in Nagano. It is still winter – the mornings are below zero degrees and the mountains are still white with snow. But Spring is just around the corner – and none more so than this year when a combination of light snowfall and temperatures rising into the teens have … Continue reading March 2020 Recommendations
Friends of Nagano Wine 