Brewer's Note: Pluck

Every year, there is a group that plays music at ANTELOPE's anniversary festival.
They are Oyaji Good Vibrations.

They are wonderful middle-aged men active in Kyoto. And one of them is Mr. Okuda, who previously lived in Yamanashi.

"There's this young farmer in Yamanashi who is working really hard. Is there anything we could do together?"

People often say in society that it doesn't matter whether you're working hard or not,
but I, Tanizawa, believe that you get to decide for yourself whether you've put in the effort.
Regardless, since Mr. Okuda—whom I trust—was the one who introduced us, I wanted to meet them.

So I reached out, and to my surprise, they actually came all the way from Yamanashi.

That person is Mr. Oma of "Nice grapes." As it turns out, we are the same age.



I’m going to go ahead and paste the introduction Mr. Oma wrote for us. This is the story behind this mead.

〈Who's Oma, Nice grapes〉

Born in 1994, Mr. Oma was raised in Yamanashi Prefecture and has been watching grape cultivation since he was a child. He told me about his farming this year.

■ On this year's harvest

This year, above all else, there was very little rain.
Thanks to the lack of rain, there were very few diseases.
It was a year where I struggled with the moisture levels in the soil.
The Shine Muscat vines harvested for this mead were in a field I rented for the first time this year (seedlings planted by the previous owner, likely about 5 years old).
Perhaps because they hadn't been well-tended,
the tree vigor was slightly declining.
I judged that it would be difficult to bring them to the standard of table grapes,
so I decided to harvest them for mead instead.
For Shine Muscat, 18% sugar content is the standard for market shipment.
However, I believe that by the time they reach 18%, the fragrance and acidity tend to fade away.
(They just end up being sweet.)
So, wanting to preserve the Muscat aroma and acidity, I deliberately harvested them before full maturity.

■ On cultivation

The one thing I am always conscious of while farming is to perform maintenance and weeding at the proper time!

Grape growing might look like it's left to nature at first glance,
but it involves a significant amount of human intervention.
Among the various work processes, there are many indicators, such as the number of leaves and soil temperature.
But with the abnormal weather of the last few years, work schedules have been inverted or bunched up all at once,
and it's no longer possible to follow the textbook.
I am required to respond flexibly to the environmental changes of each year.
I try not to just look at the grapes,
but to look at the environment surrounding them.
The grass underfoot, the growth of standing trees, the insects, the songs of the birds.

The climate changes every year, but the growth process of plants doesn't change all that much.

I remember that I performed a certain grape task when this flower started to bloom,
and I use that as a basis for my judgment.

By working at the proper time, I can reduce unnecessary disinfection
and also save labor.
More than anything, I believe it's the fastest path to growing high-quality grapes.

■ To those drinking this mead

I would be happy if Shine Muscat could become a more familiar presence!
They are, of course, delicious to eat as they are,
but I hope you discover new possibilities for Shine Muscat,
whether by using it in cooking or turning it into alcohol.

〈Tasting Note〉

There is a gentle aroma of green Shine Muscat fruit. It pairs wonderfully with fish dishes, while offering a balance different from wine. It has a dry-leaning finish. At the beginning, there is also a slight nuance reminiscent of yogurt.

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Style: Pyment

ABV: 8%

Carbonation: Yes

Volume: 500ml

Ingredients: Honey, Shine Muscat

Sweetness (10-point scale): 3 (Semi-Dry)

Serving temperature: Serve well-chilled (4-8°C)

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〈Mead making〉

I plucked the Shine Muscat grapes from the clusters one by one, blended them, and mixed them with honey. The yeast used was Philly Sour and W15. I prepared it with the hope that it would have body while still highlighting a solid acidity. Before fermentation ended, I soaked a small amount of Shine Muscat and the stems in the batch to age. Finally, I heat-treated and bottled it.