Gokase Winery Harvest Festival 2024

Yesterday, Sunday, October 20, following last week’s events, Gokase Winery held the "Gokase Winery Harvest Festival 2024" to celebrate the release on Saturday, October 19 of the 2024 vintage new wines 🍷🎉

Although the rain from the day before was gone and the sky cleared, it turned sharply cold from the morning, and as the name suggests the Wind Hall felt chilled by strong, cold breezes today 🥶💦

Still, the crowd warmed up with a lineup of lively, exciting stage programs 🤩✨ Taiko drumming, hula dance, singing, and a raffle… and the familiar Hikari hosted the event 💡 Her light, bright hosting energized the audience greatly 🥳

She was so busy she kept appearing on stage again and again 🤣🤣🤣

Food stalls offering pizza, sausages, Kitaura scallops (hiougi kai), and various sweets that paired well with the new wine filled the venue and kept everyone happy 🤤💕

The highlights were the sashimi servings of sakuramai kampachi and tuna 🐟🍴✨ Fresh sakuramai kampachi, alive that very morning, were filleted on site and served to attendees 😍

Sakuramai kampachi raised on nutrient-rich pomace—the leftover pressed grapes from winemaking at Gokase Winery—have no fishy odor and less of the greasy taste typical of farmed fish, making them especially delicious 🤤💡

Lines snaked through the venue for the kampachi and tuna 😳 I managed to grab some myself; it had no off-putting smell, a smooth, mellow texture, and was truly delicious 🥰

The finale featured the main guest, Reiwa’s Showa-era pop song young star Kokoro Umetani, on stage 🎤✨

Kokoro appeared in an outfit that matched the wine-themed atmosphere 🤩🍷 Despite her cute appearance, her powerful, glamorous voice stunned the audience 😳✨

Fans had come from afar, including from Saitama Prefecture, to support her 👏 With fans and townspeople together, the stage reached a spectacular peak of excitement 🎉🎉🎉

At last, the newly released Gokase wines are now available. Although the summer heat had raised concerns about the harvest, the tireless efforts of local grape growers paid off. They harvested higher-than-usual sugar levels and aroma, producing exceptionally fine grapes and very tasty wine 🥹👏

I haven’t had a chance to drink it yet, so I can’t wait to taste it 🍷✨
Everyone, please enjoy the season’s wines.