Exploring Japan’s Vineyards: A Guide To Fall Wine Tasting

Sake, whisky, and beer are often the drinks associated with Japan, but closer attention should also be given to Japan’s wine scene. Although Japan has hot and humid summers, certain regions throughout the country have milder and less harsh temperatures, making these areas vital for wine cultivation. In this guide, we’ll tell you about the four prefectures which you can visit to explore some of Japan’s best vineyards during your fall trip!

Yamanashi might be the first prefecture that pops into mind when talking about wine in Japan. The prefecture is well-known for its fruits, particularly its grapes. About 90% of Koshu wine comes from Yamanashi as the prefecture grows a lot of Koshu grapes. For Japanese red wine, Muscat Bailey A is one of the most commonly sold. Yamanashi also has around 90 wineries and produces about 30% of the country’s wine which puts the prefecture at the center of wine cultivation and production.

To visit some of the wineries in the area, you can participate in the Wine Tourism Yamanashi event that is held several times a year, with the next event held at the beginning of November 2024. During the event, wineries and restaurants in the Katsunuma-budokyo area will be offering paid and free tastings. Buying a ticket to the event allows you to board chartered buses and taxis to the various wineries. Outside of the Wine Tourism event, you can also book a wine taxi tour if you aren’t staying close to any of the wineries.

Two prominent wineries not to miss during your trip are Chateau Mercian and Grace Winery. At Chateau Mercian, there are English tours offered on weekdays. On the tour, you’ll be able to see the vineyard and the winemaking facilities. Besides Koshu wine, you’ll be able to try bottles of Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling as well.

At Grace Winery, while there are no tours, wine tastings are available on-site. Grace Winery has won awards at the Decanter World Wine Awards for several years and a sip of wine from their Cuvée Misawa line is recommended.

Above Yamanashi, we have Nagano prefecture, another major player in the wine scene in Japan. While Koshu grapes are the common grape found in Yamanashi, Concord grapes are more commonly grown in Nagano. Presently, there are five regions in Nagano where grapes are grown and wine is produced, which make up the “Shinshu Wine Valley.” Since the average elevation of Nagano is higher than 3,280 feet (1,000 meters), the cool temperatures make it ideally suited for growing grapes. The region produces some of the highest quality and volume of red wine in Japan!

For those who are visiting, two wineries to be aware of are Villa d’Est Garden Farm and Winery and St. Cousair. Villa d’Est is made up of a cafe, farm, winery, vineyard, and garden. You can enjoy a meal at the cafe/restaurant with dishes made from local Shinshu ingredients while staring out at the vineyard. During certain parts of the year, there are winery tours offered which will need a reservation. While the wine shop on site does not offer tastings, you can enjoy a glass of wine at the cafe. You can try St. Cousair’s wines at their restaurant or you can find a store that carries their products.

While the image of Hokkaido that one has is often cold and snowy, the sunny and pleasant weather for at least half of the year makes the region the third most popular region in Japan for wineries in Japan. There are now over 20 wineries in the prefecture, making it one of the bigger producers of Japanese wines. The Yoichi Valley in particular seems to have a large concentration of wineries. Hokkaido grows “Alpine” varieties of grape such as Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, producing some of the country’s finest wines.

Two wineries to visit are NIKI Hills Winery and Otaru Wine Gallery. NIKI Hills opened in 2014 on abandoned farmland that has since been revitalized and is now a beautiful 80-acre (33-hectares) vineyard land with a restaurant/cafe, winery, garden, and accommodation on site. You can stay at the hotel on-site and the guest package also includes a bottle of wine, a winery tour, nature walk, and dinner course. If you’re just there for the day, you can book the park cart tour, garden tour, or winery tour.

Otaru Wine Gallery which is home to Hokkaido Wine, offers visitors a chance to see their vintage wine cabinet and to also enjoy a tasting at their impressive “Keller3” tasting room. The tour also includes a virtual tour of the vineyard. The winery has been around for 50 years and the tour walks through the history of the vineyard’s winemaking techniques to how the winery has thought about incorporating advanced technology into the harvesting process.

Yamagata might be known for its snowy slopes during the winter and for its beautiful onsens, but the prefecture is a powerhouse in grape production. While much of the grapes are sent to other prefectures to be turned into wine, there are still some vineyards to visit if you make a trip up north.

The main winery you’ll want to stop by is Takahata Winery. The winery is seen as one of the major wineries, having opened in 1990. Takahata Winery holds two festivals a year, once in spring and once in fall that brings together the local community and along with wine tasting, live music performances are held throughout the day and local foods are sold. If you’re visiting the winery outside of the festival, you can tour the underground cellar and visit the onsite shop, but vineyard tours are held irregularly. During autumn, there are also harvesting experiences which guests can participate in.