By EMIKA TERASHIMA/ Staff Writer
July 26, 2022 at 07:00 JST
Seijiro Miyashita shows bottles of wine made from cracked tomatoes in Isahaya, Nagasaki Prefecture, on June 9. (Emika Terashima)
ISAHAYA, Nagasaki Prefecture--A chance stop at a roadside station in spring turned tomato farmer Seijiro Miyashita’s life around.
He came across wines made from kiwi fruit, “yuzu” citrus, figs and other fruits at the rest area in Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Miyashita, 37, thought it might be possible to produce wine from cracked and split tomatoes left to be disposed of.
He started growing cherry tomatoes about seven years ago at his Miyashita Noen farm, which sits on reclaimed land here. But up to 40 percent of his annual crop is ruined if he fails to harvest in time.
The riper the tomato, the sweeter it becomes.
But when the right harvest time is missed, tomatoes become overly ripe and develop cracks and splits.
Miyashita has no choice but to dispose of those tomatoes even though he considers them to be better-tasting.
He approached Tachibana Winery in Yame about going into partnership.
They came up with two trial products in June. One leaves a dry taste with a hint of tomato aroma, while the other has a fruit-like sweetness.
They expect to start selling tomato wines around summer 2023.
“Eventually, I want to buy cracked tomatoes from fellow farmers to get rid of the waste and revitalize the community with locally made wine,” Miyashita said.
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