"IRENKA" is an AINU word that can be interpreted as "ideal" or "hope" and we felt it perfect to reflect the ideals and ambitions of our new company.

IRENKA's founding partners, David and Kuniyo, share several things in common, but perhaps the most crucial is a profound love and respect for fine wine. They believe that wine is not just a drink but an almost magical elixir that can generate a multitude of sensations and pleasures and that the finest wines need to be shared with friends and fellow wine-lovers, to be discussed, maybe criticised and above all be appreciated for everything that led to the magic in the glass.

And of all the wines in the world, the ultimate source of pleasure that borders on the sensuous comes from Pinot Noir. And because both are 'Francophile', and despite (or because of?) the variations and disappointments that often occur with them, their ultimate dream wines come from the Cote d'Or of Burgundy.

Most people are satisfied to enjoy the wines produced by others, but when you reach this level of passion there has to be a dream to produce one's own wine and this is the ultimate objective of Domaine Irenka, to produce a top quality Pinot Noir here in Japan. Not for them the simple solution of buying a private label from an existing producer...their goal is to produce their dream wine "from the ground up", looking after every part of the planting, growing, harvesting and wine-making themselves. Already they have planted 3,800 Pinot Noir clones in the future Domaine Irenka in Hokkaido, the homeland of the Ainu people. Kuniyo will be providing updates on their progress and all the work that has to be done on her blog, "Letters from Irenka". You will see that the work in the vineyard is a million miles from the glamour of wine tasting!

While waiting for their vines to reach a level of maturity to produce fine wine, David and Kuniyo felt that they could maybe introduce some new wines from British Columbia in Canada to Japanese wine-lovers. Why B.C. wines? Since he retired, David has returned to Vancouver in B.C. and has been exploring and appreciating the burgeoning wine industry in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Among these young wineries he has met and made friends with several wine-makers who share his passion for making the extra effort to produce truly great wines. In many cases these wineries have small plot programmes that produce small quantities of "the best they can do" wines because they dream of producing something "memorable". These are wines we believe Japanese wine-lovers will appreciate sharing with their friends. You will find news and stories about the Okanagan on Irenka's Facebook page.

IRENKA is a work in progress but we hope you will understand our ultimate aim is to share: to share knowledge, information and above all the pleasure of fine wines.

David Ashley and Kuniyo Nagai
G.K. IRENKA