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Domaine Tetta

Okayama, Niimi, Japan

Website ↗@domaine_tetta Producer Sheet (PDF)

Domaine Tetta is a pioneering natural winery on a limestone karst plateau in Tetta, Niimi, in northwestern Okayama Prefecture. It was founded by Ryuta Takahashi, who had been involved in his family's construction business before discovering abandoned vineyards in his hometown. In 2009, he established Tetta, with the goal of regenerating abandoned farmland; the winery itself was completed in 2016. The estate practices fully integrated, domaine-style production, handling every step from vine to bottle on-site.

Winemaking Philosophy

Every step from grape cultivation to bottling takes place on-site. The winery is rooted in regenerating abandoned agricultural land and expressing the terroir of Tetta through minimal-intervention winemaking. Wild yeast fermentation, gravity-flow handling instead of pumps, and no additives: the goal is to let the rare limestone soils and the character of each grape variety speak for themselves. Sulfites are kept to a trace amount, or zero depending on the cuvée, with no added sugars or acids.

Vineyard & Terroir

The 6.5-hectare vineyard sits atop a small hill at 400 meters elevation. Its topsoil is clay-rich and iron-bearing, derived from 300-million-year-old calcareous limestone bedrock — a geological profile comparable to some of France's finest wine regions. On the southwest-facing slope, wind rising from the valley cools grapes warmed by the sun and clears the humidity that collects in the vineyard, naturally reducing disease pressure — complemented by an innovative rain-shelter system of vinyl covers that protects the vines from Japan's heavy rainfall. The estate grows twenty grape varieties in total, including Vitis vinifera and table grapes, with Aki Queen, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot as its primary varieties. Depending on the plot and grape variety, the estate trains vines using both the traditional Japanese overhead pergola system (tana-jitate) and the European vertical-shoot-positioning system.

Production

Domaine Tetta produces approximately 28,000–30,000 bottles a year. Niimi's principal industry is limestone mining, and the winery ages its wines in the region's own disused limestone mining tunnels — a vibration-free, ultra-quiet natural wine cave rare in Japan. The tunnels hold a constant 12–15°C year-round with humidity stable around 80%, ideal conditions for aging and storing wines meant for long maturation.

About Niimi

Okayama Prefecture is known across Japan as the “Sunny Country” for its long hours of sunshine. Niimi, located in the northwestern part of Okayama, benefits from that sunshine — along with wide swings between day and night temperatures and the surrounding mountains — which combine with rare limestone soil to give the vineyard's grapes an intensity the winery says still surprises them every year.

At a Glance

2016

Founded

6.5 ha

Hectares

28,000–30,000 bottles

Production

Region

Okayama, Niimi, Japan

Winemaker

Ryuta Takahashi

Grapes

Aki Queen, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot

Farming

Minimal-intervention. No herbicides or chemical fertilizers.

Harvest

Hand harvest with bunch-by-bunch selection. Gravity-flow transfer using small ladles, never pumps..

The Estate

On the map

Domaine Tetta — Niimi, Okayama

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Available Now (10)

Chardonnay Perlant

2024 · Sparkling · White · 12%

Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and others.

A lightly sparkling 'Perlant' led by Chardonnay with a splash of Pinot Gris and aromatic varieties, whole-bunch pressed and bottle-conditioned on Tetta's limestone estate. Lychee, muscat, green apple and white peach lead a gently fizzy, aperitif-styled palate with clean acidity, subtle skin-contact texture and a mineral edge.

Blend of Chardonnay (86%) with Gewürztraminer (7%) and five other varieties — Pinot Gris, Auxerrois, Kerner, Riesling and Sémillon — comprising 7% of the blend. Destemmed. Fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks; fermentation finished in bottle.

Merlot Perlant

2024 · Sparkling · Rose · 12%

Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon

A lightly sparkling rosé 'Perlant' of Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, whole-bunch pressed to juice and bottle-conditioned on Tetta's Okayama limestone — a rare style, and the estate's first attempt at a Merlot-based Perlant. Orange-tinged pink, with kirsch, passion fruit and grapefruit over wild white flowers, chalk and mineral notes, and a firm, gently tannic, gastronomic finish.

Blend of Merlot (94%) with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, comprising 6% of the blend. Whole-bunch pressed, fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks; fermentation finished in bottle.

Chardonnay (unoaked)

2024 · Still · White · 12.5%

Chardonnay

Tetta's stainless, unoaked Chardonnay — wild-fermented and raised without barrel for a fresh, lively expression of the estate's limestone karst in Okayama. White peach, green apple and pear over pure fruit, balanced acidity and a long, clean finish; as the estate puts it, 'fresh, like freshly picked grapes.'

Shine Muscat

2024 · Still · White · 11%

Shine Muscat 90%, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc & Ogyoku 10%

Prized Shine Muscat — Okayama's celebrated aromatic table grape — vinified dry at Domaine Tetta with wild yeasts and a light touch. Muscat, pear and white-peach compote lead a delicate yet complex palate, its faint sweetness balanced by acidity and a whisper of tannin into a long, silky, nectar-like finish.

The wine is made from a blend of Shine Muscat, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Ogyoku, a table grape. Whole-bunch, uncrushed grapes underwent three months of carbonic maceration, fermented with wild yeast; each variety is vinified separately before being blended in tank, with both fermentation and aging taking place in stainless steel. No fining is used, and it is only lightly filtered through a coarse filter to preserve its character.

native yeastunfined

Chardonnay d'or

2023 · Still · White · 15%

Chardonnay

'd'Or' is Tetta's barrel-aged Chardonnay, made from golden, late-picked fruit on Okayama limestone, wild-fermented and given around five months in oak with minimal SO2. Pale gold, with concentrated honeyed-lemon, dried and tropical fruit and apricot confiture framed by elegant oak, dense fruit and a long, mineral, finely acidic finish. Remarkably well-balanced, with real potential for extended aging.

Whole-bunch pressed. Fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks. Aged in oak for about 5 months.

Pinot Gris

2024 · Still · Orange · 12%

Pinot Gris

An estate Pinot Gris made in a skin-contact, orange style on Tetta's limestone karst in Niimi, Okayama. The color of pale, orange-tinged black tea, aromas of apricot, dried fruit, mandarin peel and dried sweet potato, a dry palate, clean acidity and a mineral, skin-derived grip. Light-bodied, yet with a rich, brandy-and-cocoa warmth on the nose.

Whole-berry fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks. Aged for about 11 months in oak.

Sauvignon Blanc

2024 · Still · Orange · 12.5%

Sauvignon Blanc

A skin-contact Sauvignon Blanc from Tetta's Okayama limestone estate, wild-fermented, barely filtered and left with a slight, natural cloudiness. Deep gold, with dried pineapple and mango, dried herbs and flowers, and a palate marked by bright acidity, with a lingering fruitiness on a distinctive, characterful finish quite unlike any other Sauvignon Blanc.

Whole-berry fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks. Aged for about 11 months in tanks.

Aki Queen

2023 · Still · Rose · 12%

Aki Queen 85%, Muscat Bailey A 7%, Others 8%

Domaine Tetta farms 6.5 hectares of vines on a limestone karst plateau at 400 to 600 meters in Niimi, Okayama. Its owner, Ryuta Takahashi, began reclaiming the land from abandoned farming in 2009, with the explicit goal of regenerating it through wine. The estate itself was completed in 2016. Aki Queen is a Japanese black-grape hybrid (a parent variety of Muscat Bailey A) that suits the Niimi limestone and altitude. The 2023 release is a rosé built around 85% Aki Queen and 7% Muscat Bailey A, vinified with native yeasts and aged in former limestone mining tunnels held year-round at 12 to 15°C and 80% humidity. 12% alcohol, no added sugar, no added acid. A distinctive rosé from one of Japan's most terroir-driven projects.

The wine is made from a blend of Aki Queen, Muscat Bailey A, and other varieties, each fermented separately with wild yeast before being blended in tank. Whole-bunch, uncrushed grapes underwent three months of carbonic maceration, with both fermentation and aging taking place in stainless steel; the wine is aged for approximately two months before bottling. The wine is moved by gravity flow throughout the process. No fining is used, and it is only lightly filtered through a coarse filter to preserve its character.

native yeastunfined

Cabernet Franc

2023 · Still · Red · 15%

Cabernet Franc

From Domaine Tetta's estate on a limestone karst plateau in Niimi, Okayama, this late-harvested, 100% Cabernet Franc — age of vines 6–12 years —is wild-fermented and barrel-influenced into a full-bodied, generous red. Deep ruby, with ripe red fruit, raspberry jam and cassis liqueur, a note of barrel-derived cocoa and a cool menthol lift over moderate, well-knit tannins.

Grapes were destemmed. Fermented in stainless steel tanks with wild yeast. Aged for about 8 months in oak.

Muscat Bailey A

2023 · Still · Red · 12%

Muscat Bailey A 100%

Muscat Bailey A is the workhorse Japanese black grape, but at Domaine Tetta it receives the full estate treatment. The vines — 6.5 hectares on a limestone karst plateau at 400 to 600 meters in Niimi, Okayama — trace back to 2009, when owner Ryuta Takahashi founded Tetta with the explicit goal of regenerating abandoned farmland through wine. The Domaine Tetta winery itself was completed in 2016. The winemaking follows the same philosophy: a gravity-flow cellar, native-yeast fermentation, no added sugar or acid, and aging in former limestone mining tunnels held year-round at 12 to 15°C and 80% humidity. Grapes are hand-picked, extraction is restrained, and the wine finishes at 12% alcohol. The result is a precise, place-driven take on a grape better known for cheap supermarket bottlings: elegant and red-fruited, with cinnamon and caramel notes from the oak, light-bodied and long on the finish.

Grapes are destemmed but not crushed. Because Muscat Bailey A's berries are firm-skinned, a stem-free, carbonic-maceration-like environment develops in the tank, beginning intracellular fermentation. Fermentation is carried out with wild yeast in stainless steel tank, with punch-downs (pigeage) performed three times a day. The wine is then aged for six months in used 225-liter French oak barrels. No fining is used, and it is only lightly filtered through a coarse filter to preserve its character.

native yeastunfined