Akiko Shiba
Years of Participation
2023
Akiko Shiba and her husband Chris Wichern moved to Oregon in 2009. Akiko grew up in Tokyo and found herself falling into flavor. She worked for a cooking magazine and developed an interest in alcoholic beverages. Following her palette, she decided to study beer making in Germany when Chris accepted a job in a new country. Between studying language and beer making, she was redirected by Riesling and her journey changed. The next five years she studied winemaking in Germany and learned the details of higher acidic wines with a Japanese intent. In 2013 Akiko and Chris started her own winery in the Willamette Valley.