Bailey A

Grape Republic was founded in 2017 in Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture, with a mission as agricultural as it is cultural: to revitalize abandoned farmland in the region through natural winemaking. Led initially by Kazuomi Fujimaki and now by winemaker Haruyuki Yano (trained in New Zealand under Alex Craighead of Kindeli), the winery farms organically with no pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, or synthetic fertilizers. All wines are zero-zero: no added sugar, acids, or commercial yeast. The cellar features seventeen amphorae of varying sizes — one of Japan's largest amphora programs. Bailey A (Muscat Bailey A) is a hybrid grape developed in Japan in 1927 by Zenbei Kawakami, prized for its resistance to the country's humid summers and its distinctive candied, fruity character. The skins were fermented for 9 days, racked once, then aged 9 months in stainless steel. Bottled summer 2023.