Karuizawa Marriott Hotel (located in Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture; General Manager: Kentaro Ohira) is hosting a Makers Dinner titled "The Art of Fermentation" on Saturday, November 21, 2026, bringing together California winemaker Six Cloves Wines and Karuizawa Anne Winery, the first winery in Karuizawa.
The evening brings together two female winemakers: one from Nagano Prefecture who now crafts wine in California, and one based in Karuizawa, Nagano, working across different climates, cultures, and histories. Through fermentation, each expresses the character of her own land, and the dinner traces the terroir of the two places as it comes together through their delicate, adaptable sensibilities. The two winemakers will also join a talk session together to share their winemaking philosophies and how each engages with her local land and nature.
In the dinner prepared by the executive chef, fermentation traditions passed down in Nagano — miso, koji, and amazake — are reworked using French technique. Wines selected by a Sommelier Excellence, grown in both California and Karuizawa, are paired with the dishes to bring out a new harmony between the wines' character and the deep umami of Nagano's fermented ingredients. Two wines nurtured in different lands and Nagano's fermentation culture come together at a single table for a special evening.
About "The Art of Fermentation"
The dinner features six carefully selected wines from Six Cloves Wines and Karuizawa Anne Winery, paired with a special six-course menu by the executive chef. Nagano ingredients such as Shinshu salmon, Nagano venison, mushrooms, apples, and walnuts are combined with fermented ingredients including miso, shio-koji, amazake, and fermented butter, prepared using French technique and paired with the wines. Sommelier Excellence Takashi Matoba moderates the talk session in which the two winemakers share their thoughts on winemaking and the appeal of their respective regions.
Menu
Appetizer
Sakura-niku (horse meat) tartare paired with Shinshu apple
Avocado, herb, and cream cheese salad, California style
Pairing wine: Karuizawa Anne Winery ANNE MOUSSEUX — "L'aventure commence ici" (The adventure begins here)
Appetizer 2
Grilled eggplant, Shinshu salmon, and shio-koji ensemble, mille-feuille style
Pairing wine: Karuizawa Anne Winery Anne no Awa Blanc de Noirs 2023 — "Pour les femmes pétillantes" (For sparkling women)
Fish
Grilled lobster with fermented butter beurre noisette
Pairing wine: Six Cloves Wines Linda Vista Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
Meat
Roasted Nagano venison with amazake and mixed berry gastrique sauce
Pairing wine: Six Cloves Wines Castanon Vineyard Zinfandel 2022
Meat 2
Lamb and Shinshu mushrooms grilled on magnolia leaf (hoba-yaki), scented with green chili miso
Pairing wine: Six Cloves Wines Buff Vale Ranch Pinot Noir 2022
Dessert
Atelier de Fromage blue cheese and fresh cheese pairing, with caramelized chestnuts and walnuts, apple chips, and a Nagano chestnut honey sauce
Pairing wine: Karuizawa Anne Winery ANNE CIDRE Semi-sweet
"The Art of Fermentation" Event Details
- Date: Saturday, November 21, 2026
- Plan 1: Makers Dinner with wine pairing
- Plan 2: Makers Dinner with wine pairing plus an overnight stay, choosing from three room types including a Main Wing Superior Room (32 sqm) and a North Wing Premier Room with an open-air hot spring bath (39 sqm)
- Price: Plan 1: ¥29,500 per person. Plan 2: from ¥70,640 per person (based on double occupancy)
Prices include service charge and consumption tax. For overnight stays, a bathing tax and accommodation tax apply separately. Overnight guests can join a shuttle tour to Karuizawa Anne Winery the day after the event. Reservations are required in advance, by 5:00 PM five days before the event, and the dinner is limited to 10 groups of up to four guests each.
About Six Cloves Wines
Six Cloves Wines is a wine brand crafted in California by winemaker Sonoe Hirabayashi, who was born in Omachi, Nagano Prefecture. Raised in a family of apple growers with a background in miso and soy sauce wholesaling and sake brewing, Hirabayashi grew up surrounded by fermentation, which eventually led her into winemaking. After studying enology at the University of California, Davis, she gained experience in Napa, New Zealand, and Chile before releasing the first vintage of Six Cloves Wines in 2018.
The name "Six Cloves Wines" comes from "Rokuchoji," the historical trade name used by the Hirabayashi family's ancestors, honoring the fermentation culture passed down through generations. Layering Japanese sensibility onto California terroir, she pursues winemaking that draws out the inherent character of the grapes. In recent years, she has also expanded her work to include full creative oversight of the wine for the brand launched by L'Arc-en-Ciel vocalist Hyde.
A word from Sonoe Hirabayashi of Six Cloves Wines:
"Staying true to the roots of miso, soy sauce, and sake brewing passed down in my family, I have continued making California wines that express a Japanese sensibility, and this year marks our tenth year doing so. In this milestone year, I'm truly happy to take part in this wonderful opportunity centered on wine and fermentation, together with Karuizawa Anne Winery, who are making wine in my hometown of Shinshu. I hope you'll fully enjoy the pairing of Six Cloves Wines — made in a style that stays close to the meal and honors the Japanese palate — with the dishes on the day."
About Karuizawa Anne Winery
Karuizawa Anne Winery is based in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, producing wine and cider. Building on grape and apple growing along with wine and cider making in Komoro, the winery was established in 2023 as the only winery in Karuizawa, repurposing part of the "Former Ohinata Church / St. Joseph Nursery," a cultural property in Karuizawa's Ohinata district. Drawing on Karuizawa's terroir, shaped by its cool climate at an elevation of around 1,000 meters and its rich natural surroundings, the winery focuses on wine and cider that express the character of the land.
Its lineup includes the "Anne no Awa" series of sparkling wines made through traditional bottle fermentation using the Champagne varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier, as well as still wines made from grapes grown on the southern foot of Mount Asama in Shinshu, and "Anne Cidre," made with apples from Komoro. The winery's quality has been widely recognized, with "Anne no Awa Blanc de Noirs 2023" winning the top Diamond Trophy at the 2026 SAKURA Japan Women's Wine Awards.
A word from Kiyomi Matsumura of Karuizawa Anne Winery:
"It's an honor to have this special opportunity to pair our sparkling wine — made from grapes grown on the southern foot of Mount Asama, fermented and aged at our winery beneath a long-standing former church in Karuizawa — with French cuisine that draws on fermented foods passed down in Shinshu. I'm looking forward to this connection with Ms. Hirabayashi of the California wine brand Six Cloves Wines, and to meeting everyone joining us, hoping to create an evening where smiles rise up like the bubbles of fermentation."
Takashi Matoba, J.S.A. Sommelier Excellence, Karuizawa Marriott Hotel
Takashi Matoba became a J.S.A.-certified sommelier in 2005 and earned Sommelier Excellence certification in 2017. Having lived in Nagano Prefecture for more than 20 years, he works as a hotel sommelier sharing the appeal of NAGANO WINE and the passion of its producers.
A word from the sommelier:
"I'm delighted that we're able to welcome Ms. Hirabayashi of Six Cloves Wines and Ms. Matsumura of Karuizawa Anne Winery for this special, one-night-only Makers Dinner. Through wine, a culture shared around the world, keywords like fermentation, Nagano, and apples came together to create this wonderful connection. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the 1976 "Judgment of Paris," another milestone in wine history. I hope anyone who loves wine, or is simply curious, will come to Karuizawa for this special occasion. We look forward to welcoming you."
Mitsuhiro Umezu, Executive Chef, Karuizawa Marriott Hotel
Mitsuhiro Umezu became chef of Grill & Dining G at Karuizawa Marriott Hotel in 2023 and has served as executive chef since 2026. He specializes in original French cuisine that blends local ingredients with fermentation culture, and has also worked on developing menus for pairing dinners with NAGANO WINE.
A word from the executive chef:
"We've prepared a special dinner course that draws on the fermentation wisdom passed down in Nagano and the region's rich ingredients, brought together through French technique. Each dish is crafted so guests can enjoy the harmony between the wines and food nurtured in California and Karuizawa. We hope you'll savor the deep flavors created by fermentation, alongside the stories woven by the two winemakers."
Reservations and Inquiries
Karuizawa Marriott Hotel — TEL: 0267-46-6611 — URL: https://www.karuizawa-marriott.com
