Tada Farm grows grapes in a very harsh environment with midwinter temperatures approaching -30℃ (-22 F), without using any herbicides or chemical fertilizers. The wine is made with wild yeast. The wild yeast on the grape skin and the yeast in the air react with the sugar in the grape and convert it into alcohol. This is a high-risk winemaking method that can have a huge impact if bacteria get into the fermentation process. Wine made with wild yeast is a very distinctive wine that allows you to feel the land itself.

 

In 2007, Shigeo Tada met the president of a winery and ended up growing Pinot Noir wine grapes. It was a fortuitous event as Naohiro had no knowledge of wine, no experience growing grapes or other fruit trees, and also – no confidence. However, despite being hit by accidents every year, they overcame the challenges one by one, and in the third year were able to harvest the first high-quality Pinot Noir crop. 

 

Shigeo recalls reading a book called ”Phantom Red Wine” and visited wineries in Japan many years prior to engaging in making wine. Also, in 2006, the year before the initial grapes were planted, he had the opportunity to go to Napa Valley in California. His real desire was to grow wine grapes not necessarily making wine. 

 

Currently, Tada Winery is cultivating Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, etc., but the challenge of Hokkaido’s climate and the characteristics of these varieties was unknown. On December 8, 2011, we encountered a temperature of -25℃ (-8F), which was unusual for early December, and as a result, Merlot suffered from frost damage and was wiped out. The following year, they built a new trunk from the buds that came out of the area, which was helped by a small amount of snow, and were able to harvest high-quality grapes as the Merlot of Resurrection.

 

2016, the 10th year of growing grapes, was a memorable year for the opening of the winery, which was born out of a series of coincidences. Wild yeast wine making was the result of a contract to make wine for another organization. Yeast on the grape skins and in the air then react with the sugar in the grape and turn it into alcohol. This is a risky method but the wine made with wild yeast is a distinctive wine that allows you to feel the land itself. 

 

Recently, a sample of a 15-meter geological formation was performed. There was a layer of volcanic ash that rained down on the plants and trees during the huge explosion of Mt. Tokachi tens of thousands of years ago, and below that was a layer of peat that remained without the plants rotting. Volcanic ash is rich in minerals. What’s even more surprising is that there were layers of water. This is underground water flowing from Mt. Furano and Mt. Tokachi, which were formed 500,000 years ago, and have an abundance of water flowing through them like an underground pool.

 

This underground water is rainwater from more than 100 years ago that is stored in the forest and absorbs minerals as it passes through bedrock, becoming high-quality natural water that flows through many layers underground in fields. It will continue to flow forever as long as the mountain exists. Human power is minimal, and tens or hundreds of thousands of years of history have led to the production of Tada wines. Their goal to develop Tada Winery into a regional winery with a contribution to creating a rich regional culture with a strong wine culture. 

 

Their belief is that the wine business is a business that can be passed on and developed not only in one’s own time, but also in the next generation. Tada Winery has just started and will to proceed slowly as if it were aging natural wine.