House Ashar

Rhone, France

The Rhône region is located in southeastern France, stretching from the south of the food capital of Lyon to the mouth of the Rhône River. This region, full of beautiful nature, is one of the most scenic places to visit on holiday.

It is a region that produces a wide variety of delicious wines, from high-end to casual types. The characteristics of the wines differ between the north and south, making it one of the most popular regions.

In the north, red wines are mainly Syrah and white wines are mainly Viognier, both of which are characterized by a rich, oak-rich flavor, while in the south, red and rosé wines are mainly made from Grenache Noir, and white wines are mainly made from Grenache Blanc, Clairette, and Bourgne Blanc, and are characterized by a fruity flavor.

The Achard family's domaine and vineyards

The Achard family's domaine is located in the mountain village of Die, located along the Drôme River, a little east of Valence, which is exactly in the middle of the Rhône region from north to south.

From there, if you go further into the mountains, you will arrive at the Achal family's fields. It is sunny 300 days a year, and the sky is often blue and cloudless. It is a region with a lot of nature, and since it is not an industrial area, it is free from pollution. There are also 2000m-class mountains about 5km away.

Organic history : 5th generation wine farmer, always organic

The area where the Achard family's fields are located is characterized by the fact that various crops, such as woods and walnut trees, coexist with vineyards. This mixture of crops, rather than just one crop, in the field is a very good environment for the ecosystem.

However, the most amazing thing about Achard's vineyard is that he is an organic wine farmer who has been in business for five generations.

In the past, there were no chemical pesticides or chemical fertilizers, so all farmers were organic before the war. After the war, however, they started using chemical pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, etc., as the trend of the world changed. But at some point, they realized the harm (to grapes and wine, the natural environment, and people, etc.) and realized the benefits of organic, and made the "conversion" from conventional farming to organic - this is one typical pattern for organic wine producers.

However, Achard Vincent is protecting fields that have not even been "converted"; they have never had any chemicals sprayed on them.

The Achard family has also been using biodynamic farming methods since 2005 (and has obtained Demeter certification). They heard about this farming method through word of mouth, looked into it, and decided to try it out as it seemed like a good idea. As a result, they have been able to reduce the amount of things they put in from outside, and make wine in a more circular way within their own fields.

Of course, this is possible only because of the rich ecosystem. His son, who currently works with him, is also devoted to biodynamic farming.

The vineyards are well-balanced and are perfectly prepared to produce high-quality grapes. Achard continues to make wine there, using the know-how he has accumulated over five generations.

・White grapes : Muscat Blanc a Petit Grand, Clairette Blanche, Aligote Blanche

Field soil

The Achard family's vineyards are located on hills at an altitude of 400 metres and consist of three enclaves (totalling 11.5 hectares).

The climate is half Mediterranean and half mountain. Due to the high altitude, the temperature difference between day and night is large, which is the perfect environment for grapes (the difference in temperature between day and night promotes ripening of the fruit).

Since 2005, We adopt biodynamic farming methods and work to activate soil microorganisms in accordance with that philosophy.

Characteristics of cultivation methods etc.

・All harvesting is done by hand

Characteristics of brewing method

Achard doesn't make ordinary wine, he's a "bubbles craftsman."

By "normal" I mean still wine (non-sparkling red, white, rosé wine, etc.), but the Achard family are specialists in sparkling wine. Sparkling wine takes more effort to make than regular wine, but they have been devoting their whole life to it. They are truly craftsmen who know everything about bubbles.

Below we introduce the characteristics of the brewing of the three types of sparkling wine produced by the Achard family.

Clairette de di Bio Sur (Ancient Method)

Variety: Muscat Blanc à Petit Grand 75% or more, Clairette Blanche Fermentation method: Fermentation is done only once (in the tank, when fermentation starts, the temperature is lowered and some of the yeast is removed before bottling. No sugar can be added at the time of bottling. The wine is left to sit on the lees in the bottle for more than 4 months. Fermentation stops naturally in the bottle.)
Alcohol content: 12.5% ​​or less

Clairette de di Brut (dry)

Variety: Clairette Blanche Fermentation method: Secondary fermentation in the bottle only (leaved on the lees in the bottle for more than 9 months)
Alcohol content: 13.5% or less

Crémant de D (Champagne method)

Variety: Clairette Blanche 55% or more, Muscat Blanc à Petit Grand 5-10%, Aligoté Blanc 10% or less. Fermentation method: Secondary fermentation in the bottle only (the wine must be left to sit on the lees in the bottle for at least 12 months. The wine must be bottled after December 1st of the harvest year.)
Alcohol content: 13.5% or less

From the producers to everyone in Japan

In the future, people will be aware that we must work hard to protect our beautiful blue planet Earth. Organic farming is the only way to do that. We do it organically, not only to protect the environment, but also to get the best grapes. We harvest by hand, which allows us to separate the bunches and remove the bad ones.

For us, the vitality of the soil is very important. It is the soil that creates the characteristics of the land (terroir) and the life activity of the land. That is why we use biodynamic preparations (which sound like chemical medicines when written like this, but they are all natural, such as herbs and other plants, cow horns, dung, and decoctions of grass, which are diluted hundreds of times with water before use in biodynamic farming) to ensure that the soil can properly absorb the energy of the celestial bodies.

Biodynamic farming is a method with stricter rules than organic farming, such as following the movements of celestial bodies, making fertilizers in-house, and applying special compounds to the fields. It takes more work than regular organic farming, but since adopting biodynamic farming in 2005, the aroma of the wine has improved.

Someone once said to me, "You're a perfectionist."

I strive to make wines that are as natural as possible, and ideally as close to nature as possible so that the natural aromas can be poured directly into the customer's glass. In years when the grapes are perfectly ripe, have good acidity, and are healthy and free of bacteria at harvest time, the wines will be even closer to perfection.

As someone who practiced judo in my youth, Japan is a country I admire, and it gives me great joy to see the Japanese people enjoying our wines.