Okuizumo, Shimane Pref. ¨C Every springtime, in the dead of night, a mysterious sight appears in the hills below Izumo, a land of myth that¡¯s home to Japan¡¯s oldest shrine.
Small fires that look like festival lanterns dot rows of farmland as far as the eye can see. The blazes are a distinctive and crucial feature at Okuizumo Budoen, a vineyard crafting fine wines in what chief vintner Norio Abe calls ¡°an often hostile westerly climate.¡±
Okuizumo¡¯s flagship wine is made from ²õ³ó¨°ì¨²õ³ó¾±, a grape developed from wild ²â²¹³¾²¹²ú³Ü»å¨ fruit. Naturally hardy and resistant to disease, the variety is well-suited to winemaking in a region increasingly prone to extreme heat and typhoons.
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