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.
Tag: #wine
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
February 2020 Recommendations: A Visit to Chateau Mercian Mariko Vineyard
This past weekend we traveled to Chateau Mercian's new visitor's center at its 30 hectare Mariko Vineyard. Chateau Mercian began developing the Mariko Vineyard nearly 20 years ago naming it after a 6th century scion of the Kinmei Emperor. The area is widely regarded as one of the best wine-growing areas in Nagano Prefecture, because … Continue reading February 2020 Recommendations: A Visit to Chateau Mercian Mariko Vineyard
January 2020 Recommendations
We are starting out the New Year with some delicious recommendations for red wines. Nagano is increasingly becoming known for the quality and variety of its red wines. Merlot remains at the top of the heap and we have a very nice 100 percent Merlot from the Manns Winery in Komoro City that will make … Continue reading January 2020 Recommendations
Friends of Nagano Wine 