Yukikawa Brewery's First Release Wine
Snow River Unsparkling Rosato 2021
Thank you very much for your continued patronage.
This is an introduction to Snow River Unsparkling Rosato 2021, the first wine produced and shipped (first release) since the establishment of Yukikawa Brewery. Aiming to create a wine that goes well with Japanese food, we have created a rosé wine using Seibel 13053, which is often brewed as a red wine in Hokkaido, as the main ingredient.
| Categories | rosé wine |
| type | Light Body |
| Year of production | 2021 |
| Alcohol content | 12% |
| Reference price | 2,800 yen (official website price, excluding tax) |
| Origin | Three vineyards in Higashikawa Town, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido |
| Varieties | Seibel 13053 92% / Pinot Noir 4% / Traminer 2% / Sylvaner 1% / Chardonnay 1% |
| Brewing Method | Seibel 13053 was harvested by hand on the 9th and 10th of October. The grapes were sorted and then whole-cluster pressed, with a small amount of sulfurous acid added. Pinot Noir, Traminer, Sylvaner, and Chardonnay were harvested by hand on the 17th of October. The grapes were sorted and left in skin contact with the whole clusters for several hours at low temperature. After whole-cluster pressing, a small amount of sulfurous acid was added. After racking, each variety of grape was fermented in stainless steel tanks using different yeasts in four different tanks. The fermentation period was as short as 14 days and as long as 25 days. After fermentation, the four types of tanks were blended into one tank (stainless steel). Bottled after two months of storage. Unfiltered. Aged in bottle for 6 months. |
This wine won the Gold Award at the Sakura Awards 2022 .
What is the Japan Women's Wine Award “SAKURA” 2022?<br>This is an international wine competition hosted by the Wine and Spirits Culture Association, a general incorporated association, and judged only by women active in the wine industry.
Wine created through the cooperation of many people
Yukikawa Brewery began winemaking in November 2020 when the company was established. Starting a winery from scratch means turning the soil in the fields, fertilizing, planting seedlings, and beginning a multi-year process until the grapes can be harvested.
For the brewing facility, we received help mainly from Higashikawa Town Hall, and were able to use a quaint red brick warehouse that had long been used as a rice warehouse. It took longer than expected to get the brewing and storage tanks, presses, sorting tables, pumps, and other equipment ready, due to the need to procure supplies from Europe and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When we first started the company, we received support of about 7 million yen from 359 people through crowdfunding, as well as loans from local financial institutions. We also received careful advice from the town hall and tax office as we went through the enormous amount of paperwork. We have been helped by many people, not only in Higashikawa but also in the surrounding areas, to get to this point.
Everything was finally ready in the fall of 2021, and with the support of many people and the preparations for winemaking, we will finally release our first wine in early summer 2022. 
Cultivation of this variety began in the 1980s, when winemaking was not yet very popular in Hokkaido, and it is still the main variety of wine grapes in Hokkaido today. Because it is suited to the cold climate, it is not widely produced in other regions of Japan, making it one of Hokkaido's representative varieties.
It has been cultivated in Higashikawa Town for about 30 years, and Snow River Unsparkling Rosato 2021 is made using Seibel 13053 grapes grown in Higashikawa Town's public vineyards, making it a wine that is 100% produced in Higashikawa Town, from cultivation to brewing.
Why did you choose rosé for your first release wine?
The main ingredient, "Seibelle 13053," is a black grape variety that is often used to make red wine in other growing regions, but we decided to make it as a rosé instead of a red wine, as we felt that rosé or white wine was more suitable for Japanese food.
There are many different types of wine and many ways to enjoy them, but the most important thing is that the wine harmonizes with the food. Yukikawa Brewery believes that refreshing white wine or rosé wine goes well with the Japanese dining table, which emphasizes umami while bringing out the flavor of the ingredients.
The name "Unsparkling"
When we first brewed the Seibel 13053 grapes harvested that year in the fall of 2021, we had planned to make it into a slightly sparkling wine. However, the fermentation process did not go as expected, so we ended up making it into a rosé wine. Although the end result was different from our initial goal, it was a very delicious and lovely wine, so we released it as is. We named this wine "unsparkling" because we wanted to playfully express the circumstances that led to this.
June 2021 Yukikawa Brewery LLC Representative Tetsuya Yamahira