ZoomAki Queen2023
Domaine TettaNiimi, Okayama, Japan
About this wine
Domaine Tetta farms 7 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.
Winemaking
Aki Queen, Muscat Bailey A, and other varieties are fermented separately with wild yeast, then blended in tank. Whole-bunch, uncrushed grapes undergo three months of carbonic maceration, with fermentation and aging in stainless steel for about two months. The wine is then lightly filtered through a coarse filter, with no fining.