Pinot Noir harvested on August 19, 2019

Osato International uses the vineyards that have been fallowed in collaboration with the Osato Research Center since 2012 as vineyards to make wine, creating a place for welcoming local seniors. "WINE PROJECT".

OsatoResearch Institute (ORI), which developed Immun'Âge,is situated in Ono-town in Gifu, JAPAN. It renowned as the number one producer of rose seedlings as well as a leading growing region of FUYU-GAKI, called King of Japanese sweet persimmons. However, because of the aging and decreasing of farmers, it is afraid that more fields have been left lying fallow recently. The Ono-town Office, knowing ORI's effort so far for various social activities, askedfor assistance and adviceif there is any way to use increasing such idle lands effectively, because such idle lands would have adverse impacts on the surroundingpersimmon fields.

View of the beautifully maintained vineyard, with extensive persimmon fields behind

Still green grape fruit. The leaves are also growing alive.

This is how "Project ORI WINE" started in 2012, aiming for winemaking to seek for co-existence and co-prosperity with local persimmon farmers and make a place for social activities especially for the retired and elderly people, which will be another way to make people happy with "Fermentation". We thought it would be nice to make it for 'a cool and stylish agriculture' where young people and elderly people can enjoy working together. Then we established beautiful open vineyards with image of southern France's luxuriant garden to grow total of 500 vines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the land of 1000 m2.

Viticulture and winemaking specialists Mr. Joaquin Fraga

Heading for the vineyards by Land Lovers which are the ORI's company cars

What "Project ORI WINE" is trying to make is a Bio-Wine (Natural Wine) without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. We invited a viticulture specialist, Mr. Joaquin Fraga from UC Davis, a leading University of research in viticulture and enology, and learned how to grow grapes. Mr. Fraga said that it would be very difficult to grow grapes, especially Pinot Noir for a Bio-wine because of a hot and humid climate of the Ono-town, however, we started our challenge to "Make It Possible", since it would be worth challenging. Then, thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, in August 2019, we managed to harvest Pinot Noir and started process of wine-making at last. We will see how the result would be!!

The abandoned idol lands before we started vine yards	Small grapevines just planted
beautifully maintained vineyard	Mr. Yuki Hayashi explaining about wine making project to Mr. Kozo Usami, Mayor of Ono town
Taking care of vines with local school kids	Thank you for cutting weeds a hot summer day. They are all over 70 but so energetic!
Preventing diseases by non-agrochemicals spraying	Working together for pruning
Chardonnay grapes becoming transparent during ripening process	Incredible harvest of Pinot Noir!
Starting harvest early in the morning. It took us about 4 hours.	Pinot Noir Grapes Just Picked