Jumeaux

"Jumeaux," which means "twins" in French, is a mead we created to celebrate the opening of the second store for the Niigata liquor shop Hasegawaya. We used Le Lectier pears and quince from Abe Farm, also in Niigata; when you take a sip, the gentle scents of both fruits dance playfully on your palate.

It has a firm acidity from lactic acid, which is because, in terms of our "family" of meads, it is like a twin to our classic "The Last Supper." We prepared it to bring the final alcohol content and finishing sugar level as close to The Last Supper as possible.

It pairs perfectly with caprese or fresh fruit, making it a bottle you can easily reach for even at lunch. The flowers on the label are our token of celebration.

〈Niigata→Peace〉

I was filled with excitement from the moment we decided to collaborate with Hasegawaya and Abe Farm in Niigata. Both Le Lectier and quince were ingredients we were using for the first time, and I was thrilled to take these "twin" fruits, harvested while still green, and ripen them ourselves.

We were full of various excitements, and the release date was already set, when the earthquake struck on January 1st.

More than the release, my primary concern was the safety of everyone in the Hokuriku region. Once we confirmed they were safe, I started thinking about what we could do to help. I was good at academic studies for university entrance exams, but I have very little real-world experience, and I’m the type of person who has no idea what to do in a situation like this.
I just thought, if people who pick up our mead can smile even a little because it tastes good, maybe that's the only thing I can do. I had originally intended to use a portion of the proceeds for volunteer work, but seeing the news that general access to the disaster area was restricted, we decided to simply donate 100 yen per bottle sold.

Our production volume is very small, and it may not be a donation amount I can boast about, but I pray that even a little bit of "peace" will spread from Niigata to Toyama, Himi, Kanazawa, and Noto.

Our staff member Okada will be at the Hasegawaya second store opening event on January 11th, so let's have a drink with big smiles on our faces 🕊

〈Tasting Note〉

The color is a slightly cloudy wheat hue. Lightly sparkling. The aroma is dominated by nuances from the fermentation, with the soft scent of quince lingering in the background. On the palate, there is an initial lactic acid attack, followed by the refined scents of Le Lectier and quince passing through the nose. It’s the kind of drink that makes you want to take a breather and enjoy a meal.

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Style: Melomel - Fruited Mead -

ABV: 10%

Carbonation: Yes

Volume: 500ml

Ingredients: Pure honey, Le Lectier, Quince

Sweetness (10-point scale): 3 (semi-dry)

Recommended serving temperature: Chilled (4-8℃)

〈Mead making〉

I first met Mr. Abe of Abe Farm through a smartphone screen. You could tell right away that he was a generous and kind person (or at least, that’s what I felt).

I was so looking forward to this collaboration, thinking that whatever produce Mr. Abe grew would absolutely be delicious. He gave us so much advice on how to ripen the Le Lectier and quince, and I have such vivid memories of us adjusting the room temperature ourselves, slicing and eating the fruit, slicing and eating, over and over again.

Day by day, the scent and sweetness intensified, and we used them at the exact moment we felt was right.
For the quince, we heated and simmered it with honey to extract the fragrance, and for the Le Lectier, we made our own purée and fermented it.
In the final stages of fermentation, we added small amounts of both again to build layers of aroma.

Quince has a very strong scent, so I was worried it would take over if I wasn't careful, so we balanced both of them to have similar nuances, like true twins. I think it would be fun to drink this while playing a classic Mario game.

What are your favorite classic Mario games? I was a solo-player type, so for me, it's Super Mario RPG. My party is Mario, Bowser, and Geno.