Fattoria AL FIORE
ファットリア アル フィオーレ
Miyagi, Kawasaki, Japan
Founded by Hirotaka and Reina Meguro, Fattoria AL FIORE is a natural winery at the foot of the Zao Mountains in Kawasaki Town, Miyagi Prefecture. The name combines "Fattoria" (Italian for farm) with "AL FIORE" (meaning "a flower"), inherited from the Italian restaurant Meguro opened in Sendai in 2005. In 2014, the couple began planting grapevines on abandoned farmland in the Hasekura district, housed in the converted gymnasium of the former Hasekura Elementary School since 2018. They operate two wine lines: the flagship Fattoria AL FIORE series from estate-grown grapes, and the NECO series (named after their resident cats) made from purchased grapes sourced across Tohoku.
Winemaking Philosophy
At a Glance
2015
Founded
2.3 ha
Hectares
Region
Miyagi, Kawasaki, Japan
Grapes
Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Malvasia +5 more
Farming
Grass-covered cultivation with no chemical fertilizers or herbicides.
Harvest
Hand-harvested with selective picking and meticulous sorting.
On the map
Fattoria AL FIORE — Kawasaki, Miyagi
View full map →Available Now (2)
OFB
2023 · Still · Red · 11%
41% Muscat Bailey A 35% Merlot 23% Chardonnay 1% Koshu
Hirotaka and Reina Meguro started Fattoria AL FIORE in 2015 in Kawasaki Town, Miyagi, after Hirotaka closed the Italian restaurant of the same name he had run in Sendai for a decade. The winery occupies a converted school gymnasium at the foot of the Zao mountains. The 2.3-hectare vineyard sits on volcanic-ash soils with grass-cover cultivation; pomace compost matured for three years feeds the soil. OFB is a kitchen-sink red blend (41% Muscat Bailey A, 35% Merlot, 23% Chardonnay, 1% Koshu) co-fermented as a single tank, more in the spirit of Fattoria's experimental house style than a textbook bottling. Wild-yeast fermentation, no added sulphites, élevage across stainless steel, neutral barrel and amphora as required. 11% alcohol; light, savoury, gulpable.
Field blend co-fermented with native yeasts, grapes layered in tank by harvest gentle extraction, no fining or filtration
Verde
2023 · Still · Red · 11%
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Verde is Fattoria AL FIORE's Cabernet Sauvignon bottling, sourced from the estate's 2.3 hectares of volcanic-ash soils at the foot of Miyagi's Zao mountains. Cabernet Sauvignon is unusual at this latitude in Japan; harvest-season rain is the chronic enemy, and the 11% alcohol on the 2023 release reflects an early pick rather than full physiological ripeness. Hirotaka and Reina Meguro work the vineyard with grass-cover cultivation and three-year-matured pomace compost; in the cellar there is nothing but wild-yeast fermentation and minimal handling, no added sulphites, élevage across stainless steel and amphora as required. The result is a light, almost Cabernet-Franc-feeling Japanese Cabernet, savoury and herbal, built for the table rather than for the cellar.
As of 2023, this cuvée is made exclusively from Cabernet Sauvignon. A portion of the grapes undergo inboshi (drying in the shade), while another portion is vinified as a Blanc de Noir through direct pressing.
