Sato Wines

Yoshiaki Sato and his wife Kyoko are very passionate about wine. After starting their professional careers in international banking in Tokyo and London, they made the leap to New Zealand to pursue their passion for wine.  After a short stint at Lincoln University in Christchurch to pursue a graduate diploma in viticulture & viniculture, they arrived in Central Otago. 

Yoshiaki Sato spent two years working at Felton Road with Blair Walters and also at Mount Edward with Duncan Forsyth. 2009 marked the first vintage produced under the Sato label, after purchasing organic grapes and producing 250 cases of Pinot Noir. Since then, Sato has continued to source organically grown grapes and currently produces approximately 1700 cases.

Passionate about organics and biodynamics, Sato produces wines with minimal intervention in the winery. To achieve this, Sato uses only natural ferments with no commercial yeasts, no additives during the fermentation process, and a minimal amount of sulfur just prior to bottling.

In early 2016 they purchased their own farm on the east-facing, chemical-free, sloped 5ha site (3.2ha effective) on Mt Pisa near Cromwell. The site is planted with Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gamay Noir and Pinot Noir.

Wines from "La Ferme de Sato" (their own vineyards) were first released in 2022 - they are already developing a cult following.  They are described as "stunning cult wines from a brilliant winemaker" in a fantastic article in Quill & Pad.

At winenz.com you can buy the wines from Sato winery for delivery around the world to Australia, USA, UK, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and China.

If you are looking to buy Sato wines for delivery in New Zealand, we encourage you to shop at www.thewineryonline.co.nz