COUNTRY: Japan
REGION: Nagano Prefecture
Tomoko and Takahiro Ogino
Les Vins Vivants is a cidery and also a winery run by Tomoko and Takahiro Ogino in Tomi, Nagano. Tomoko and Takahiro were colleagues a restaurant in Tokyo and became fascinated by wine and the intricacies of wine making.
Takahiro went on to study at various wineries in Japan and in France and moved to Tomi in Nagano prefecture to start their winery and in the process learned how to make cider. Due to its cool climate, Tomi is an ideal place to grow apples without using artificial pesticides such as insecticides and fungicides. It is one of the places in Japan with the highest production of apples. Their wines and ciders are grown without any chemicals and are made without any added sulphur.While working at a restaurant in Tokyo, Takahiro met Tomoko. Although he had no prior farming experience, he developed a strong desire to make wine himself. Takahiro trained for six years at Grace Wine in Yamanashi. He also gained experience with natural wine producers in Beaujolais and Alsace. Tomoko studied vinification and apple cultivation for two years at JA Shinshu Ueda Farm.
They founded LES VINS VIVANTS in 2019 in Tomi City, Eastern Nagano. It is a region rich in natural beauty: more than half of its land area consists of mountains and forests, about a quarter is farmland, and the Chikuma River flows gently through the center of the city. From the southern slopes, they could see the Yatsugatake Mountains and the Northern Alps, with Mount Asama rising on the opposite side. Due to its cool climate, Tomi is well suited to fruit cultivation with minimal reliance on artificial pesticides such as insecticides and fungicides. The name LES VINS VIVANTS derives from the French words vins (“wines”) and vivants (“living”). The name expresses their philosophy of producing living wines and ciders.
CUVÉES
Kigou 2024
Region: Nagano
Grape: Kyoho 81%, Shine Muscat 11%, Nagano Purple 8%
Vineyard Size: Kyoho, Shine Muscat, and Nagano Purple grapes sourced from growers in Tōmi City.
Soil: n/a
Average Age of Vines: n/a
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: All grapes were de-stemmed and co-fermented in open stainless steel tanks. Using semi-carbonic maceration, the fermentation began naturally with wild yeasts. On the fourth day, the grapes were crushed by foot, followed by daily pigeage until pressing near the end of fermentation. After fermentation, the wine was kept on its lees (sur lie) to enhance depth and bottled after racking.
Aging: n/a
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
Gera Gera 2024
Region: Aomori Prefecture, Tomi City and Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture
Grape: Steuben, Shine Muscat, Kyoho, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Nagano Purple, Roussanne, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Vineyard Size: n/a
Soil: n/a
Average Age of Vines: n/a
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: Some destemmed, some pressed whole bunch. Steuben and Shine Muscat direct pressed whole bunch without maceration.
Aging: Aged sur lie for 6 months in stainless steel tanks
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
Bailey A Hakkoutai Red 2024
Region: Minami-Alps City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Grape: 100% Muscat Bailey A
Vineyard Size: n/a
Soil: n/a
Average Age of Vines: n/a
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: Whole-cluster semi-carbonic maceration in open-top stainless steel tanks without destemming or crushing. On the 4th day of the winemaking process, grapes are crushed firmly promote fermentation. Pigeage is performed daily thereafter. Pressing takes place about one month after the start of the winemaking process. Juice is extracted using a pneumatic membrane press, and then aged in 500L foudres.
Aging: After approximately 11 months of barrel aging, the lees are removed and the wine is bottled.
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
