The Yamasachi grape has a well-balanced acidity and tannins, and it pairs well with yakiniku, ethnic dishes, and tomato-based pasta.

The Yamasachi grape was created to withstand the freezing winters of Hokkaido. “Yamasachi” was created in 1978 by the town of Ikeda from “Kiyomi” and Vitis amurensis, the Amur grape. Kiyomi is a clonal selection of the French hybrid Seibel 13053. The Yamasachi grape was first vinified in 1995 and the first commercial wine was released in 1999. In 2020, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) certified the Yamasachi grape, recognizing it as an indigenous Japanese grape.

 altitude of 800 meters above sea level, with a 6 hectares (~15 acres) vineyard and winery in a spectacular landscape. Nagano has the lowest annual rainfall in Japan, a large temperature difference between day and night, long hours of sunshine and well-drained soil, making it an ideal region for growing wine grapes. The soil is volcanic ash soil (andosols) with a surface deposit of approximately 70-80 cm of pitch-black humus, formed from plant and animal remains decomposed by microorganisms over tens of thousands of years.

Mitsuhiro Hase believes that in order to maximize the natural power of grapes, it is necessary to consider the cultivation and brewing at the microbial level. Cultivation without putting a burden on the environment which aims for a complex biological environment where grapes coexist with various plants, animals, and microorganisms. These harsh natural environments have various effects on grapes, and of course on fermentation and wine. The winery is next to the fields so that the wine can directly reflect these various natural elements, and during winemaking, sulfurous acids are not used unless necessary for bottling, instead the grapes ferment naturally with a complex group of microorganisms.

Domaine Hase strives to make simple wine with as little human intervention as possible and aims to make wine that “touches the heart”. The cultivation puts minimal strain on the environment, fermenting highly concentrated grapes with low yields using wild yeast that is already part of the environment, making wine that makes use of the power of nature and the potential of the grapes.