Gio Hills Winery
Old vines and a curious Vietnamese connection.
Founded 2018
Komoro, Nagano Prefecture
Varieties planted
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Syrah
The People
Gio Hills’ story began in the year 2000, when Masaki Tomioka, in partnership with Manns Wines, started planting Chardonnay on the Mimakigahara plateau to the south of Komoro. Years later, these vines are now some of the oldest in the area, and produce several of Nagano’s finest white wines.
Today, 34-year old Hayato Tomioka has taken over the reins from his father in the vineyard and winery. Hayato-san comes from the first batch of graduates from the Chikumagawa Wine Academy, having studied there alongside other acclaimed Nagano winemakers like Takayuki Maezawa of Ro_Vineyard and Ko Taguchi of Sail the Ship Vineyards.
The fruits of his labour are expressed clearly through his wines, which are precise and mature in style.
The Land
Unlike most wineries in Komoro, Gio Hills is actually situated south of the Chikuma River, on the Mimakigahara Plateau.
The soil here is heavy clay, and the unobstructed landscape offers good airflow and sun exposure. Situated at 700-800m AMSL, it's decidedly cool, although recent years have seen temperatures slowly creeping up.
The Wine
Like many Japanese producers, Tomioka-san adopts a minimal intervention approach to his winemaking but does not label himself as a "natural wine" producer. Most of the wines are fermented spontaneously with wild yeast, and SO2 is added only as necessary to ensure stability.
His winemaking prowess is evident from the expert treatment of his wines, implementing methods like harvesting at night for acidity and judicious use of oak for the wines that can handle it.
