An American Winemaker's 35-Year Journey Helping To Shape Japanese Wine Culture

Our guest is Bruce Gutlove, who is an American-born winemaker based in Hokkaido, Japan.

The Japanese wine industry has been flourishing, particularly in the last two decades or so, thanks to the rapid increase in talented winemakers who are willing to conquer the challenges of the country’s unique terroir. 

Bruce has greatly contributed to shaping the modern Japanese wine-making culture.  Since 1989, he has worked in vineyards and wineries in Japan to bring out the potential of the Japanese climate and soil.  Most notably, he led the COCO Farm & Winery https://cocowine.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/cocofaw-pr-eng.pdf in Tochigi Prefecture, which is owned and operated by people with intellectual disabilities, to become an award-winning wine producer. 

Now, as the owner of 10R Winery https://www.10rwinery.jp/ in Hokkaido, he keeps fostering successful winemakers and helps solidify Japan’s unique wine industry. 

In this episode, we will discuss how Bruce got involved in wine consulting in Japan when the industry just about to start developing, the uniqueness of the wine-making environment in Japan, the exciting grape varieties that make Japanese wine stand out in the global market, Bruce’s personal observation of Japan and why he has spent over 35 years in the country and much, much more!!!

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