Hello, Berserkers!
My wife, Akiko Shiba, and I operate a tiny little winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley creatively called Shiba Wichern Cellars. We produce almost 1000 cases of wine per year – mostly Pinot noir, but a little bit of Auxerrois too – since 2017. (Edit: Auxerrois since 2017. Pinot noir since 2013…)
How we got here is a long complex story most of which is best saved for another day. Very briefly: in 1995 we met in a beer bar in Tokyo and eventually moved to Germany where Akiko dropped her plans to study beer making in favor of studying enology and viticulture. After Germany we made our way out to Oregon for Harvest 2009, started our winery in 2013 and here we are. Obviously, there were lots of experiences, adventures and chances to learn along the way. I want to share just one of those with you here.
Akiko is often asked if as a Japanese person it has been difficult to find her way in the wine industry. Let’s face it; when we think about wine in a cultural context, most people think of the (European) old world. France, Italy, Spain, Germany, etc. come to mind first when we think about wine culture. Even new world countries like South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand,the US, etc. come to mind long before Japan.
For years Akiko avoided and deflected when asked about this. “It doesn’t matter. I just want to make wine. I don’t want to be the best Japanese woman winemaker. I just want to be the best,” was her answer. When asked again during an interview this summer she opened up a little bit more. Even though I have known her for 26 years(!), her answer brought me some new insight into why she does things the way she does.
In the next couple of paragraphs I am going to repeat her answer – as best as I can – from that interview. I hope it helps to share her philosophy of wine production and serves as an interesting introduction to Shiba Wichern Cellars.
"Actually, Japanese food and drink culture gives me an advantage, I think. In Japan everything is focused on the ingredient. Almost every dish is about some specific ingredients. When we eat that dish, we want to taste how delicious those particular ingredients are. To do that we need two things: quality ingredients and the correct way to prepare the dish.
The importance of quality ingredients needs no explanation – every culture knows this. It is the process of making the dish that is different. Western food has a lot of sauces and other things that compliment, but can sometimes overpower the individual ingredient. Japanese food culture has almost nothing like that. Even complex dishes still let us enjoy all of the individual ingredients.
For restaurant foods like Nigiri Sushi this philosophy is obvious. The proportion of the fish to the rice bed must be perfect. Even though we love the fish part of Sushi, no one wants a big thick slab on top of the rice. The balance would be all wrong. It wouldn’t look right, it wouldn’t have the right mouth feel and it would taste wrong. Even the rice has to be just right. Not packed too tight. Not too soft. Not too hot or cold and just the right amount of vinegar.
For home cooking we Japanese practice this philosophy too. Something as simple as miso-soup has a precise process that needs to be followed strictly. The size and the shape of the vegetables, what kind of dashi, which combinations of ingredients work well, how much miso are all so important. We want to taste every ingredient not just the miso. If we use too much dashi, it is just as bad as using too little. All of this is about balance.
Wine is the same. The ingredient is the grape. I want to capture the taste of the grapes. Highlight it and protect it. Maybe even intensify it too. To do this I know that I need quality grapes and I need to prepare them the perfect way to enjoy them most.
This way of thinking is my culture and part of me. So, I think being a Japanese wine producer is OK. "
-Akiko Shiba
So that’s Akiko. We are both stoked to be here and looking forward to meeting everyone!