NIPPON WINE HOUR vol.3 — Pairing Japanese Natural Wine with Japanese Cuisine

【COLLABORATOR】

• Nachumaru Wine Store
  A wine shop located in Ōokayama.
  Japanese wine is evolving rapidly — production regions and grape varieties are diversifying, and more winemakers are crafting bottles with strong intention and care. Wanting to share these unique wines more widely, Nachumaru Wine Store opened on Christmas Day in 2022.
  They introduce wines filled with the stories and passions of their creators, so please stop by and explore their selection.

【WINERY】

• Sawauchi Jozo (Aomori)
  Akihiro Sawauchi first fell in love with wine while training as a chef in Florence, Italy. Inspired by the vineyards and centuries-old wine culture, he dreamed of one day creating wines that would pair with his own cuisine.
  After returning to Japan, he opened “Ristorante Sawauchi” in his hometown of Hachinohe in 2008. In 2017, he founded “Sawauchi Jozo,” a natural winery dedicated to non-sulfite, unheated, and unsweetened winemaking — methods that allow the true character of the grapes to shine.
  Recently, he has also focused on creating spaces where people can enjoy local flavors in everyday life. Guided by the belief that “both cuisine and wine are expressions of the land,” he continues to bring new energy to Hachinohe’s food culture.
• TAKAHIROWINE (Ibaraki)
  Raised in a family surrounded by craftsmanship — with a father running a metal workshop and a mother known for her cooking — he grew up admiring chefs from an early age.
  After graduating from culinary school, he worked as a chef and gradually became fascinated by the world of wine, eventually working as a sommelier at wine restaurants in Tokyo.
  As he encountered more and more winemakers and their stories, he developed a desire to make wine himself and moved alone to Australia. He spent a year training at “Small Fry,” a natural winery in Adelaide, where he learned viticulture and winemaking rooted in coexistence with nature.
  After returning to Japan, he gained further experience under Mr. Meguro at “Fattoria AL FIORE” in Miyagi, while starting his own vineyard in his hometown of Shimotsuma. He is now based between Ibaraki and Miyagi, aiming to establish his own winery following new plantings planned for 2025.
• Natan Winery (Tokushima)
  Originally from Nara, he ran a wine bar and shop while working as a sommelier. His deep love for wine eventually led to a kind of jealousy toward the special bond between winemakers and their wines, which pushed him to become a producer himself.
  In 2014, he moved to Tokushima — a place with almost no wine culture at the time — and began searching for farmland.
  He started cultivating and planting in 2016, expanding the vineyard year by year while practicing completely natural farming with no fertilizers and no pesticides.
  In 2021, he founded Natan Winery. Using only grape varieties familiar to Japanese drinkers, he ferments with native yeast and finishes the wines with no additives and no filtration. His goal is to create gentle, easy-drinking wines that fit naturally into Japanese food culture and help people bring a playful spirit into everyday life.
• Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Fujimaru Winery (Tokyo)
  An urban winery located in the heart of Kiyosumi-Shirakawa.
  Working mainly with grapes grown by contracted farmers in Yamagata Prefecture, the winery focuses on expressing the natural characteristics of the fruit and crafting wines that quietly and gently accompany everyday meals.

【FOOD】

• Yamisushi
  Yamisushi is a project born from the desire to create spaces where sushi and music coexist.
  Based in Ryogoku — a neighborhood that still retains a strong Edo atmosphere — they offer sushi catering, delivery, and reservation-only sushi parties.
  Drawing on a background deeply influenced by African American culture, they participate in overseas pop-ups and serve late-night sushi at nightclubs, proposing a borderless, genre-defying vision of what a sushi restaurant can be.
  Their goal is to create an exotic, futuristic experience made by and for urban dwellers.
• Gallo
  Gallo is a charcoal-grill restaurant specializing in natural wine, located in Yotsuya-Sanchome.
  We travel directly to the regions where seasonal ingredients are grown and carefully select only produce whose origin and producers we can trust.
  What we serve at Gallo is more than just technique on a plate. Behind each dish are the farmers who raise chickens with care, the people who nurture rich soil in the fields, and the fishers who bring us the blessings of the mountains and sea as the seasons turn.
  We see ourselves as partners with these producers, creating “deliciousness” together.
  To complement our food, we offer a carefully curated selection of natural wines from Japan and around the world. Each glass expresses the inherent vitality of the grape, naturally pairing with the deep flavors of charcoal-grilled chicken and the aromas of seasonal vegetables — adding new depth to your dining experience.
  We treat every ingredient with respect: preparing it simply, thoughtfully, and serving it at its most delicious moment on the day it arrives.
  What you taste here is a plate and a glass infused not only with the skill of the chefs, but with the dedication of all the producers involved. Please enjoy this rich world of seasonal cuisine and natural wine woven together by people and place.