Fattoria da Sasino
A bastion of Italian varietals at the foot of Mt. Iwaki.
Founded 2010
Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture
Varieties planted
Nebbiolo, Barbera, Sangiovese, Merlot, Malvasia, Chardonnay
The People
Fattoria da Sasino was started by Michiaki Sasamori, a native of Hirosaki. Sasamori-san actually started his career as a chef, and spent two-and-a-half years working at Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy. At 30 years old, her returned to Hirosaki to start the now-famous restaurant Osteria Enoteca da Sasino.
Years later, in 2010, Sasamori-san decided to start making wine as a way to contribute further to the community, and develop Hirosaki as one of Japan’s premier winemaking regions. Being a love of Italian cuisine and wine, Sasamori-san made the decision to plan Italian varieties like Nebbiolo and Malvasia at the foot of Mt Iwaki. Today, Sasino’s Nebbiolo is known to be one of the best in Japan, and can easily stand toe-to-toe with its Italian cousins.
The Land
Moving further north in Japan, vineyards tend to come in at lower altitudes as temperatures are already quite low here. Being situated at the foot of the once-active Mt. Iwaki, soil here are a mixture of volcanic andosols and clay loam.
As Hirosaki is on the Sea of Japan side of the country, the city also receives a ton of snow in winter, and is actually known to be amongst the snowiest places on Earth.
The Wine
Fattoria da Sasino's wines have managed the remarkable feat of staying mostly true to their varietal, while having their very own unique character that makes you think twice.
Their Nebbiolos come across as being older than they are - soft and eminently approachable, while retaining the signature cherry notes of the grape. Their Malvasia also takes after the Friulian style, in that it's a fresher, higher acidity style, and has a distinct ginjo or 'sake' aroma.
