A former semiconductor plant in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan's main wine-producing region, has made a fresh start as a winery, with the company's owner driven to explore a new industry by fierce competition from Asian tech rivals.
The MGVs winery, which opened last April, uses liquefied nitrogen gas that once protected silicon wafers from oxygen and moisture to prevent grape juice from deteriorating through oxidation, to some extent keeping alive one of the factory's former functions.
The winery's clean room, an area free of dust and other contaminants, is used for wine fermentation, bottling and storage. The area ensures bacteria cannot infiltrate the wine and affect its aroma.