" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Wine from Yoshida Brewing Company
Filter
The Award Winning Sake Brewery
Gassan, also known as Yoshida Sake Brewing Co., Ltd., is located in the small village of Yasugi. Yasugi is in the very Southernmost Japanese Prefecture of Shimane. The Kura or brewery was founded in 1743 and present owner Tomonori Yoshida-san's family took over the property in 1826; hence Yoshida-san is the 5th generation of family involvement and ownership with the Kura.
Over 200 years ago around Yasugi, the Amago-clan was reigning over the Sanin district. There, the clan established a castle where the feudal lord of Amago resided in the Age of Civil Wars. "GASSAN", took its premium sake brand name from the mountain in this area. Their time-honored tradition of sake brewing was established by special permission from the feudal lord of the House of Hirose. They have proudly maintained this tradition, handing down brewing secrets from generation to generation for over 180 years.
Their sake has received the gold award over ten times at the "Zenkoku Shinsyu Kanpyou Kai" (National New-Brewed Sake Contest), the foremost and authoritative contest in the Sake industry.
Gassan produces Tobin Sake or competition sakes from 18-liter tobins. The Tobin sake is very limited in production, but is marketed.
About their Fine Sake
Production is small at 700 Koku (or 14,000 9-liter cases in wine terms). Seven sake types are produced here by the ageless Master Toji, Tanaka-san, who is 84 years young. At artisanal breweries like Gassan water is all important and sure enough all of the water is sourced from mountain springs around Yasugi.
Typical of Western Style Sakes, their Nihon-Shu is big boned, rich and round, and balanced with lactic acid.
Why they got so many awards?
To make quality sake, it really depends on (1) Water, (2) Sake Rice, (3) Toji's Skill.
1. The Water Source:
Their sake is brewed with fine and super soft water, which the lord of the House of Hirose used in their tea ceremonies at the end of Edo period. (late 1800s)
The water Gassan uses for their sake is recognized as one of the best 100 waters in Japan. It was also known as one of the highest quality water in the "Fumai-style tea ceremony". Furthermore, as water varies according to climate conditions, we specially blend in other water sources to precisely control water hardness to maintain our exacting brewing requirements.
2. The Sake Rice:
Gassan does not hesitate to use high quality rice even though it may cost them. They focus on making outstanding sake for sake lovers. The sake mai or rice types used are:
- Yamada Nishiki
- Gohyakumangoku
- Sakanishiki
- Kairyoomachi
- Kannumai
3. The Master Toji's skills are superior to others:
The Master Toji Tanaka-san, is certified as "Modern master craftsman" by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The highly skilled people (a wide variety of things such as an entertainment, food, Metalwork, machine appliance assembling, repair, the sewing of clothes, carpenter) can be certified as "modern master craftsman " that Japanese government wants Masters to pass the technique to the younger generation.
Tanaka-san is also passing all of his skills to younger toji, Adachi-san. The uniqueness of Gassan is the mixture of Classic and Modern Toji skills that effect the flavor in the end.
This is the certificate of "Seishu Senmon Hyoukasha" (Sake Expert Assessor) that Tomonori Yoshida-san holds. There are about only 50 people who are certified. Out of all the 50, Yoshida-san is the Second person of the beginning. This certificate is presented by Alcoholic beverage research institute, the best liquor research organization in Japan. Whoever certified as Sake Expert Assessor, they can be called top taster, just like Master Sommelier in Wine world. Because the exams are so difficult, there are still only about 50 people certified.
Currently, there are about 1300 Kura exist in Japan, but most Kurabito (brewery people) do not hold such certificate. You need not only knowledge of sake, but also tasting skills to be certified. The producer, Yoshida-san is giving a 100% effort to create high quality sake.
Above all results, Gassan's sake is world-class sake
Gassan's sake is very easy and smooth to drink. Their constant pursuit of perfection has led to success at a national level. Now this high quality sake is available in the US.
Showing 1 to 2 of 2 (1 Pages)
Sort By:
Show:Products per page
Display: List / Grid
Woodsy honeycomb, nutshell, and mushroom patch aromas with a satiny fruity-yet-dry medium-to-full body and a delicate savory mushroom stock, chestnut, and golden beet driven finish. A fine choice for tempura. 91 Points -Beverage Tasting Institute
RATING: 91 points (Exceptional)
CATEGORY: Junmai Ginjo Sake, Sake
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 15.4%
TASTING LOCATION: In Our Chicago Tasting Room
TASTING DATE: Dec-05-2012
WINE ID: 200767
Woodsy honeycomb, nutshell, and mushroom patch aromas with a satiny fruity-yet-dry medium-to-full body and a delicate savory mushroom stock, chestnut, and golden beet driven finish. A fine choice for tempura. 91 Points -Beverage Tasting Institute
RATING: 91 points (Exceptional)
CATEGORY: Junmai Ginjo Sake, Sake
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 15.4%
TASTING LOCATION: In Our Chicago Tasting Room
TASTING DATE: Dec-05-2012
WINE ID: 200767
Showing 1 to 2 of 2 (1 Pages)
- back
Selected Options
Wineries
Categories
Pricing
Countries
Regions
Grape Types
Wineries
Organic/Free Shipping
Weingut Prager Stockkultur Achleiten Gruner Veltliner Smaragd is made from 100 percent Gruner Veltliner.
Franz Prager, co-founder of the Vinea Wachau, had already earned a reputation for his wines when Toni Bodenstein married into the family. Bodenstein’s passion for biodiversity and old terraces, coupled with brilliant winemaking, places Prager in the highest echelon of Austrian producers.
Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members of the Vinea Wachau. The wines must have minimum alcohol of 12.5%. The grapes are hand-harvested, typically in October and November, and are sent directly to press where they spontaneously ferment in stainless-steel tanks.
Stockkultur is a 0.3-hectare plot at the top of Achleiten and was purchased by Toni Bodenstein in 2005. The name refers to the old style of training each vine to a single stake; the traditional method of vine cultivation in the Wachau before the 1950s. The vines planted in 1938 are among the oldest in the Wachau.
Tasting Notes:
Prager’s stylistic signature is that of aromatic complexity coupled with power and tension. High-density planting and long hang times ensure ripe fruit flavors and concentration, yet allowing leaves to shade the fruit lend vibrant aromatics of grasses, herbs, and wildflowers. Minerality is a constant feature of any Prager wine.
Food Pairing:
With minimum alcohol of 12.5%, Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is a concentrated and full-bodied dry white wine. Its intensity of flavor and ripeness of fruit make it ideal with high-integrity ingredients such as seared white fish or sautéed spring vegetables. Grüner Veltliner is a classic accompaniment to Wiener Schnitzel.
Review:
From vines planted in 1937 and picked as the first of the Smaragd wines, the 2020 Ried Achleiten Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Stockkultur (planted with 15,000 vines per hectare) opens with a spectacular deep and complex but refined, fresh and flinty bouquet with intense, ripe pear and biscuit aromas. On the palate, this is a dense and lush yet pure, elegant and complex, wide and powerful but also mineral Achleiten with a long, finely tannic and still sweet finish (due to more than 30 grams per liter of dry extract). Tasted at the domaine in June 2021.
At Prager, I could not determine that 2020 would be inferior to the 2019 vintage; on the contrary, the 2020 Smaragd wines fascinated me enormously in their clear, cool, terroir-tinged way. A 38% loss had occurred mainly because of the hail on August 22, although predominantly in the Federspiel or Riesling vineyards. There was no damage in the top vineyards such as Ried Klaus, Achleiten or Zwerithaler. "Interestingly, the vines are in agony for about two weeks after the hail. There was no more growth, no development of ripeness and sugar," reports Toni Bondenstein. The Veltliner then recovered earlier, while even picking a Riesling Federspiel in October was still a struggle. "Why Riesling reacted more intensively to the hail, I don't know myself either," says Bodenstein. Whole clusters were pressed to preserve acidity and to compensate for the lower extract, and compared to 2019, the 2020s were left on their lees longer. In June, however, the 20s in particular showed outstanding early shape.
-Wine Advocate 96 Points
Corne Loup Cotes du Rhone Rouge is made from 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre.
Color: dark red ruby.
Aromas: red berries, truffles and spices.
Flavors: complex and rich. It shows red and black fruits, with an herbal spice type of aromas coming from the surrounding vegetation (Garrigue).
The average age of the vines is 40 years. (The oldest vines are 80 years old). Yield: 40 hl/ha The soil is mainly sandy marl and small pebble stones.
Lamb, duck, turkey, red meat, game and cheese.
©2025 Timeless Wines. All rights reserved
