Shonai-Tagawa Agricultural Cooperative (JA), headquartered at Tsuruoka-shi, Yamagata prefecture, held “Mount Gassan Wine Festival” in the city on August 4. The Mount Gassan (literally, moon’s mountain), one of sacred mountains in Japan, is famous for its ski slope and pure water.
A number of visitors of the “Mount Gassan Wine Festival” are tasting “Mount Gassan Wine” on August 4. (Tsuruoka-shi, Yamagata prefecture)
They served the festival visitors with “all-you-can-drink” wines and grape juices. Most favorite wine is “Mount Gassan Wine,” which is made from crimson glory vine and wine grapes grown by local farmers.
People of the JA Shonai-Tagawa provided a publicity message on their wine producing area to more than 2000 visitors gathering from both inside and outside of the Yamagata prefecture.
The JA plans to establish a bigger producing area of wines in its territory. The wine festival is one of its most important publicity events for increasing sales of the “Mount Gassan Wine.”
Ken-ichi Nanba, representing wine grape producers’ group of the Asahi Branch Office of JA Shonai-Tagawa, welcomed the festival visitors by saying “We have been blessed with favorable weather this year. Grapes have grown very well. Enjoy Gassan Wine as much as possible.”