ZoomShine Muscat2024
Domaine TettaNiimi, Okayama, Japan
Shine Muscat is a highly aromatic table grape variety, prized across Japan.
About this wine
Prized Shine Muscat — Okayama's celebrated aromatic table grape — vinified dry at Domaine Tetta with wild yeasts and a light touch. Muscat, pear and white-peach compote lead a delicate yet complex palate, its faint sweetness balanced by acidity and a whisper of tannin into a long, silky, nectar-like finish.
Tasting Notes
A hazy, cloudy yellow. Aromas of muscat, pineapple, ripe apple, karin (Chinese quince), and aloe. Fine bubbles rise when poured into the glass, giving a crisp, effervescent sensation on the palate. A pleasing balance of sweetness and acidity, with generous fruit lingering long on the finish. Skin-derived tannins add a pleasant accent. A few days after opening, lees-derived notes reminiscent of amazake (sweet fermented rice drink) and grain begin to emerge.
Vinification
The wine is made from a blend of Shine Muscat, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Ogyoku, a table grape. Whole-bunch, uncrushed grapes underwent three months of carbonic maceration, fermented with wild yeast; each variety is vinified separately before being blended in tank, with both fermentation and aging taking place in stainless steel. No fining is used, and it is only lightly filtered through a coarse filter to preserve its character.
Vineyard & Farming
Grapes are grown on Domaine Tetta's 6.5-hectare vineyard, sited on a southwest-facing slope at 400 meters elevation. The soil is clay-rich and iron-bearing, derived from 300-million-year-old limestone bedrock, and valley winds naturally reduce disease pressure. No herbicides or chemical fertilizers are used, with spraying kept to the necessary minimum.
From the Winery
This is our third vintage making wine from Shine Muscat. It's a still wine, but with a slight effervescence. It has none of the lightness or wateriness typical of table grapes, and we've managed to craft a wine with real depth here — a sign of the variety's future potential. It's also a variety that has seen growing demand from overseas in recent years.