Gold Medal at the International Wine Challenge 2025

The Keio Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB) has conducted a component analysis for Tsuruoka Koshu 2023, which recently won the Gold Medal, the highest honor, at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2025, and the Bronze Medal at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards.

As a part of Yamagata Prefecture's Bio-cluster Development Projects, El Sun Winery Matsugaoka and the IAB first identified "3-mercaptohexanol" in Tsuruoka Koshu. This key aroma compound, predominantly associated with the varietal character (the distinctive aromatic and flavor characteristics) of Sauvignon Blanc, was detected at a "concentration exceeding perception threshold.
This finding offers new insight into the unique aromatic profile of Tsuruoka Koshu and may explain the rich aromatic appeal that led to the prestigious recognition at two of the world's most influential wine competitions.