In 2003, Takahiro Koyama went to study Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University, just outside of Christchurch. Concurrently he landed a role as cellar hand at Mountford Estate under the guidance of
the icon CP Lin. This foundational experience
instilled Takahiro with a profound respect for attention to detail and integrity that can be seen in
each of his wines today.
Following his time at Mountford, he worked in famed wineries around the world including Weingut Keller in Rheinhessen, Germany which gave him a profound understanding of the purity of Riesling. From there, he joined California trailblazer, Jim Clendenen, at Au Bon Climat in Santa Maria to hone his skills with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Upon graduating in 2006, he became assistant winemaker at Mountford eventually succeeding his close friend and mentor.
Now he is out to pave his own way. Founding Taka K in 2023 it is safe to say that these wines carry with them all of the learnings and profound expertise of Takahiro Koyama. Each wine is sourced from incredible growers around the North Canterbury region that Takahiro has been working with for years. The Ouroboros on the front label is a traditional symbol of a snake or in this case dragon consuming its own tail, a symbol that depicts the never ending cycle of all things and the eternal nature of creation.
SUSTAINABILITY.
Takahiro produces these wines in tiny quantities using organic principles at every stage and refusing to adjust the wines in any way in the winery prioritising the work in the vineyard. The sites he works with are in conversion to Organics and the wines meet the standards required in the winery. A through line of Takahiro’s education from Germany to the USA and New Zealand has always been that wine is made in the vineyard, hence his reluctance to source fruit from anywhere but his tiny network of passionate growers.