At this time of year, many people may head out to wineries around Japan to volunteer for the harvest.
By stepping into a vineyard and touching the grapes even once during the year, the memory of “what kind of year it was” becomes tied to the vintage. For enthusiasts, that can make the world of wine even richer.
This year, why not go one step further and experience not only winemaking but even bottling?
A new program has been launched in which participants receive proper instruction from professionals and make their own original wine.
Specifically, at ART PAYSAN WINERY in the popular wine region of Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, participants can experience everything from harvesting and winemaking to creating an original label and bottling—and will even receive some of the finished wine. It is a rare opportunity for wine fans.
Let’s take a closer look.
Steps in the Winemaking Experience
The grapes will be harvested on October 12 and fermentation begins the following day. During the intervening period, Mr. Takahashi of ART PAYSAN WINERY will carefully manage the wine. Depending on its condition, the group plans to taste the finished wine around February of the following year, create original labels, and bottle it in April.
Remarkably, Mercian Senior Winemaker Takayuki Tamura will provide instruction throughout every stage of the process.
Participants will harvest with Tamura, examine the grapes and discuss together what style of wine to make.
With that finished image in mind, they will determine the process from fermentation onward, and Tamura will also teach the bottling method directly.
What Will Participants Do?
An entire parcel at ART PAYSAN WINERY will be dedicated to this project.
The grapes harvested from this parcel are expected to produce around 150 bottles of wine.
The variety is Petit Manseng. It has attracted attention for its relative disease resistance and ability to reach high sugar levels; in Hanamaki, it also has the characteristic of retaining its acidity well.
The finished wine will be given to participants.
A wine that you have personally worked on continuously from harvest through vinification and bottling should be something truly special.
About the Winery and Instructor
As noted above, instruction will be provided by Mercian Senior Winemaker Takayuki Tamura.
Tamura joined Mercian Corporation in 1999.
He spent 12 years engaged in basic wine research and product development. From 2005, he gained winemaking experience in Argentina and Chile. Beginning in 2013, he worked in grape procurement, expanding company-managed vineyards and overseeing Tengusawa Vineyard, Kataoka Vineyard, and Mariko Blocks 15 and 16.
He served as head of Katsunuma Winery from 2017 to 2022, became Chief Winemaker in 2021, and later served as head of Mariko Winery in 2023.
Since last year, he has been involved in consulting, serving as a business contact and technical advisor while guiding and developing startup wineries.
Mercian Senior Winemaker Takayuki Tamura
The winery hosting the experience is ART PAYSAN WINERY in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture.
Hanamaki has mineral-rich soils containing substantial limestone and a climate with large day-night temperature differences. These conditions are well suited to fruit cultivation, including grapes and apples, and the area has more than 50 years of winemaking history.
ART PAYSAN WINERY sits on a hill overlooking beautiful terraced rice fields and mountains. In its breezy winery environment, it grows fruit that expresses the local terroir and produces both wine and cider.
From left: Kazuya Takahashi, head of viticulture and winemaking, and Mercian Senior Winemaker Takayuki Tamura
Project Overview and Applications
Application URL: https://forms.office.com/r/1ijtLEs4tu
Contact: 04034_ni@mercian.co.jp
Professional instruction is provided throughout the entire process, participants receive finished wine, and the price is ¥50,000 before tax.
For wine lovers who want to deepen their understanding of wine, this should be an excellent opportunity.
Applications are open through October 2, limited to the first 25 participants.
If you are interested, act quickly.