100% Zweigelt from Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.

From the winemaker: "Zweigelt?….. Zweigelt???? What is it? How does one pronounce it?

The Zweigelt grape variety certainly has itʼs share of identity problems. It is not very well  known outside of some tiny corners of the wine world. And itʼs name̶rather clunky and  unpoetic̶doesnʼt help attract followers. “Pinot noir” and “Chardonnay” sound delicious,  mellifluous and rounded as the names roll off the tongue. Say “Zweigelt” and it sounds like  youʼre choking on a fish bone.

Which is all too, too unfortunate. Because Zweigelt (some call it “Zwei” to save time) is a  very high quality red wine grape, uniquely suited to making wines of depth in the cold north  of Hokkaido. The grape variety comes from Austria, where it was developed in the early  1900s by one Dr. Zweigelt (howʼd you like to go through life with THAT name!). What Dr.  Zweigelt was hoping to achieve via grape breeding we can only guess, but by crossing the  St. Laurent and Blaufrankisch grape cultivars he ended up with an early ripening variety  that yields (when done well) wines with excellent fruit, structure, color and aroma.  

The 2018 COCO TOARU ZWEIGELT is our inaugural attempt with this wine from new  vineyards planted in Yoichiʼs Nobori sub-region. It is actually a blend of two vineyards….  The NAKAGAWA vineyard is “hidden” among a series of hills in Noboriʼs northeast sector,  a very sheltered spot with sandy soils and little wind. The KONISHI vineyard is in a far  more exposed site, a hilltop overlooking the town of Yoichi and the Japan Sea.

In the cellar, in keeping with the Coco Toaru philosophy, the grapes were lightly crushed,  fermented with wild yeasts at moderate temperatures, pressed gently, and then aged in a  mix of wooden barrels and small-volume stainless steel tanks.  
Nothing is added to the wine except a modicum of sulphur dioxide at bottling, and nothing  is removed as we avoid the use of damaging filtration equipment.

We hope you enjoy our attempt at a Coco Toaru Zwei. We had great fun making the wine,  and are encouraged by the results. A Votre santé!"