Early summer, Hokkaido.

We traveled through the wineries of Iwamizawa, Yoichi, and Hakodate, meeting the people who bring each wine to life.

There, we encountered makers who continually experiment and refine their craft, listening closely to the land and the grapes they nurture.

Weather, temperature, rain, and soil.
Even microorganisms and the passage of fermentation become part of the process.

Behind the words, “Twenty years for the grapes,” lies two decades of carefully observing the vineyards and learning from them.

There were times, they told us, when they found themselves searching only for the reasons things did not work. Yet even those struggles became part of their journey, as they continued to seek their own answers, one by one.

Rather than pursuing efficiency, they choose to take their time.
They embrace organic farming, seeking the flavors born from the living topsoil.
They grow their grapes within the natural cycle of the land.

Japan is a country blessed by nature.

There are four distinct seasons.
Temperatures shift, rain falls, and the soil breathes.
Microorganisms work quietly, while the passage of time through fermentation creates new expressions of flavor.

There is never just one answer.

They research, think, experiment, and observe.
Trusting the knowledge they have accumulated and the principles they have developed for themselves, they move forward into another year.

The wines carried a long finish.

Not simply the lingering taste,
but an aftertaste that seemed to quietly preserve the time spent on that land, and the years devoted to the grapes.

To live alongside wine.

We felt that commitment in the vineyards.

For us, being entrusted with these wines and having the privilege of serving them alongside our cuisine is both a joy and a profound responsibility.

The memory of the land entrusted to us by its artisan,
and the time they have devoted to it—

we pass them on to the next person,
through a dish of cuisine,
through a single glass of wine.