A sweet and sour aroma wafts through the inside of the brewery as the process of making wine from lush ripe plums is currently at its peak at Meirishurui Co. in Mito.
Freshly washed "fukuyui" plums produced in Ibaraki Prefecture are continually added to vats filled with shochu and sugar. Each 6,000-liter vat uses 2.2 tons of plums.
This season, plum wine using about 86 tons of plums are scheduled to be brewed in June. After being allowed to mature for three to five years in the vats, the wine will be flavored with brandy, honey or other additives prior to shipping.
"We were blessed with good weather this year, and thanks to the hard work of the farmers, we were able to get very good plums," said Masumi Kawamata, 56, a production manager. "We are looking forward to seeing the finished product in a few years."
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