Okayama University of Science seeks to bottle a new grape as a homegrown wine #OkayamaUniversity #HomegrownWine #MuscatShiragai #Winemaking #JapaneseWine

...kurocodile (kuro is black.)

2/2

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Doors -shirocodile- by Umeda Shuzojo (2025) - 3½ ⭐

Vibrant, tingles on the tongue. Fermenting pineapple, some citrus, like overripe grapefruit.

Name's a joke. Shirou means white, and it’s cloudy white sake… which would be the opposite of a...

1/2

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...it spent 4 years in French oak!).

It’s still nice and drinkable after all that, full of strawberries, cherry, and juicy plums. Being the most interesting Muscat Bailey A I’ve had so far gets it an extra half star.

2/2

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Makiuchi Private Reserve Muscat Bailey-A by Tsuno Wine (2020) - 4½ ⭐

Now, *this* is ruby. Leads with a sweet nose, strong with burnt sugar and vanilla, making me thing unexpectedly of some over-oaked Chardonnays (we later find out on the label that...

1/2

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Pinot noir by Ebeotsu Wein (2024) - 3 ⭐

Ruby, almost. An immediate taste of fresh berries, pointing straight to its natural nature, but not funky at all. A fresh Pinot Noir from Hokkaido.

Red Wine from Hokkaido

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...good at Koshu you could age.

2/2

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Koshu by Katsunuma Jozo (2015) - 3 ⭐

Cheese rinds, at first, which was a surprise. Pale yellow. Light pear, mellow. Light yuzu. Bit of sweet lime.

Drinkable, but short. Maybe it was tired already, even if I understood this house was particularly...

1/2

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Pony by Komazono Vineyard (2025) - 3 ⭐

Pale. Sweet grapes on the nose, syrup; then green apples and apricot on the palate, as well as some citrus (going to say yuzu since it’s Japanese, but hard to place).

White Wine from Yamanashi

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Fukuihara Blanc by Domaine Hase (N.V.) - 3½ ⭐

Pineapple, ripe; passion fruit, grapefruit. Brash nose, with sugar in it. Surprisingly drinkable for a natural, and it gets a 3.5 based on that (might be a 4 if naturals or orange are your poison).

White...

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...Almost there, but it’s a BBQ wine right now (kind of like what we had with the Survivrost 2024).

2/2

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Ordinaire Merlot by Obuse Winery (2024) - 3 ⭐

Raspberry, some cherries, something earthy. Too young. :-/ Not there yet and I thought it might have been, given some comparisons that someone who suggested it made....

1/2

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...even if the palate is softer.

A blend of Merlot aged in American and French barrels.

3 right now, because it felt like it needed a couple of years, but I like where I think it’s going.

2/2

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Survivrost by Inishie no Sato Budoshu (2024) - 3 ⭐

Yeah, that’s oak. Vanilla, shoe polish, cedar, cashew, something toasted… mellows out once you get to cashew.

Surprised it’s only 12% — the nose could pass for a stronger Spanish wine,...

1/2

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...I wrote it down as “3.5, maybe 4”, so when in doubt, going with the lower score.

2/2

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Chardonnay by Shinshu Takayama Winery (2021) - 3½ ⭐

Pine, flowers, cold violets. Light sweet taste, cream, almost crème brûlée, cedar, caramel, something almost smoky at the back of the nose.

Dark yellow, small tears....

1/2

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...I don’t think I’d take a bottle, even if it isn’t that expensive.

Strawberry ripens as it breathes, and bumps it to a solid 3 (I was going to say it barely got in under the wire).

2/2

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C'est sur les rives de la rivière by Nikkawa Winery (2024) - 3 ⭐

Bit fresh. Raspberries, still ripening. A hint of mosto on the nose. Strawberries, also not there yet. Vibrant and drinkable, but simple....

1/2

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...I am not getting into these as much as I thought I would, even if it worked with a salad I tried it with.

Squeaks in with a 3.

2/2

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Chardonnay Barrel Fermentation by Domaine Châteraisé (2022) - 3 ⭐

Flower-first wine. Rose apple, pear (which I wasn’t expecting), something herbal that I keep encountering in Yamanashi wines....

1/2

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