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In the 1950s, Noboru Kawata became a teacher for special needs students at a junior high school in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture. In those days, children with disabilities were often seen as pitiful and raised in an overprotective environment. As a result, they tended to be fragile, spoiled and irritable. Kawata thought that these children would be suited for agriculture, which requires a lot of activity all year round, and looked for farmland. Since flat land was expensive, he bought a steep-sloped lot which faces the southwest, believing that the afternoon sun in summer would be good for farming. The land cleared of trees was soon covered with rampant weeds which could outgrow vegetables. Kawata thought that fruit trees which bear sweet fruit once a year would be better than vegetables. He also thought that fruit growing that needs a lot of time and labor would be preferable so that children can work throughout the year. He finally decided to grow grape vines.
In the postwar years, grapes sold like hotcakes because of the lack of sweets on the market, but grape prices plummeted during the nation's period of rapid economic growth in the 1960s. Kawata's response was to consider making wine since wine is a value-added product that can be stored for a longer period of time. In 1984, Coco received a government permit to produce wine and started wine production. At that time, grape wine had not yet gained popularity in Japan, and no one knew exactly how to produce good wine there. So Coco invited a wine consultant named Bruce Gutlove from California to Japan and sought his advice. He firmly believed that good wine depends mostly on the grapes, and he was impressed by the efforts of Cocoromi Gakuen to carefully tend the grapes and harvest by hand, avoid the use of herbicides and chemical fertilizers, and even chase away crows by rattling empty cans. To this day, he serves as a trustee of Cocoromi Gakuen and a board director of Coco Farm & Winery.
Coco selects the varieties of vine that suit the climate of the northern Kanto region, and works hard to follow natural farming practices. It is an independent winemaker using 100 percent Japanese grapes. Fermentation with natural wild yeast can be undependable and time-consuming but can make fragrant, quality wine.
Koshu F.O.S. is a powerful, idiosyncratic wine made from Japan’s own Koshu grape variety. Fermented on skins like a red wine (hence “FOS”), this white wine isn’t really white at all. It displays a deep copper robe, an opening ‘comment’ to be followed by powerful, spicy aromas of cinnamon, fig, and walnut. In the mouth this wine is robust, with plenty of fruit and spice, and a dry, tannic finish. As an accompaniment to food this wine is most at home with similarly robust dishes, from chicken stew to tripe; it is also exceptional with strongly-flavored cheeses.
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