Photo/Illutration Bottles of Rose Mind 2023, a red wine featuring a rose aroma, are displayed Jan. 20 at the Fukuyama city government office. (Masaaki Yashiro)

FUKUYAMA, Hiroshima Prefecture--In the “City of Roses,” it surely was only a matter of time before someone got around to developing red wine with a rose fragrance.

That feat has been accomplished by Taisuke Hisatomi, a professor of brewing microbiology at Fukuyama University’s Faculty of Life Science and Biotechnology.

Sales of his Rose Mind 2023 kicked off Jan. 22 to give a burst of momentum to the WFRS World Rose Convention to be held in May in the city where the rose is its designated flower.

At Fukuyama city’s request, Hisatomi began his research into rose yeasts in 2013.

Bringing the project to commercial fruition was undertaken by Numakuma-Yumekoubou Inc., which is dedicated to creating new regional delicacies.

For his study, Hisatomi extracted 1,300 yeast strains from 50 rose variants cultured at the Fukuyama Gardening Center.

In 2016, Hisatomi began producing a red wine using yeast derived from Mister Lincoln, a dark red rose species. The yeast strain is known for its exceptional fermentation properties.

Though the finished wine was well-received for its mild taste, it lacked a pronounced floral aroma.

This prompted Hisatomi to expand his research into Mister Lincoln yeast. He eventually stumbled on a mutant strain with an aroma four times stronger than its standard counterpart.

Wine production got under way in October 2023 by making use of Muscat Bailey A from the town of Sera, also in Hiroshima Prefecture. Bottles matured at the Sera Winery, which is located in the Kurobuchi district of the town famed for grape cultivation.

The finished product, Rose Mind 2023, boasts a strong rose fragrance that spreads in the mouth when sipped.

Rose Mind 2023 is the world’s first red wine characterized by the aroma of the rose yeast of Mister Lincoln, Hisatomi said.

On Jan. 20, Hisatomi visited Fukuyama Mayor Naoki Edahiro to report the completion of Rose Mind 2023. He was accompanied by the president of Numakuma-Yumekoubou, Motoharu Nakashima, and Sera Winery’s chief brewer Yuta Hashimoto,

“Previously, I was often asked if Rose Mind truly smells like a rose,” recalled the delighted Edahiro. “Now, I can proudly say that it does.”

Hisatomi described his brainchild as “perfect for banquets and as a souvenir for sightseers,” adding that “a floral aroma and a joyful sensation unfurl in the mouth with each sip.”

A 500-milliliter bottle of Rose Mind 2023 sells for 1,650 yen ($10.60).

A total of 2,400 bottles have gone on sale at the Tenmaya Fukuyama department store, a farmers’ market run by the JA Fukuyama agricultural cooperative, Sera Winery and Numakuma-Yumekoubou.

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