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An online information session regarding the "Japanese Wine Pavilion" Joint Exhibition Project at VINEXPO ASIA 2026 (Hong Kong) was held on December 1.
Introduction – Purpose of This Project: A new challenge for Japanese wine begins now. In May 2026, VINEXPO ASIA, one of the world's largest wine trade fairs, will be held in Hong Kong.
Niki Hills Winery is located in Niki Town, Hokkaido. I recently had the opportunity to experience its charm firsthand. Embraced by vast vineyards, spending time while taking in the changing seasons feels like a little journey taking you away from everyday life.
Yoichi's vineyards set the stage for celebration at "La Fête des Vignerons à YOICHI (Open Farm Festival)," held annually in Yoichi Town, Hokkaido.
When thinking of Shimane Prefecture, many people likely picture Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine. The land of Izumo is the setting for Japan's oldest history book, the "Kojiki," and various tales known as the "Izumo Myths" are still passed down to this day.
Azabu-Juban is one of Tokyo's premier gourmet districts. Located there is Aile Blanche, a French restaurant that has long been favored by gourmets.
In the midst of Obon, while Japan was experiencing intense heat and raging typhoons, Hong Kong was hosting the judging session for the "Hong Kong Washu Awards 2023," a competition for Japanese wine and sake. The 22 judges were all wine and sake professionals from Hong Kong.
Now that the pandemic has passed and travel to and from Japan has resumed freely, people in Hong Kong have begun seeking out new Japanese products. Among these, "Japanese wine" is gaining growing attention as a relatively new offering.
When you think of Shimane Prefecture, what comes to mind? Izumo Taisha Shrine, perhaps? The Izumo myths passed down in this region are also famous. The Okuizumo region, which served as the setting for the tale of Yamata no Orochi (the eight-headed serpent) from those myths, is the destination for this winery visit.
"Japanese wine" is produced all across Japan. Did you know that winemaking is taking place in Kumamoto Prefecture, located in Kyushu? On this visit, we toured two wineries operated by Kumamoto Wine Farm.
When it comes to Ajimu Wine, many people probably picture the sparkling wine shown in this photograph. Ajimu Wine Studio is a winery run by Sanwa Shurui of Oita Prefecture, famous for its shochu "Iichiko."
Not only in Japan, but all over the world, there are many exhibitions (trade shows) aimed at the commercial trading of wine. Among them are exhibitions that are particularly large in scale and internationally famous.
The film "Vin Japonais" was released in November 2022. True to the film's theme of "sharing Japanese wine with the world," our mission to promote Japanese wine abroad is finally getting into full swing! This time, our destination is Singapore.
Tetta Town in Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture. As represented by "Domaine Tetta," which we introduced in our previous column, the number of wineries in this area has been growing in recent years. This time, we are introducing "Okayama Wine Valley," located in that very same town.
Today, there are many wineries in western Japan. Did you know that Okayama Prefecture, one of those areas, is actually home to as many as 11 wineries? This time, we visited Domaine Tetta, a winery in Okayama Prefecture that is hugely popular for 'that motif'.
As February begins, winter is now in full swing, and the days have grown even colder. In snow country, as seen in the photo above, some wineries are buried under heavy snowfall. For the second installment of our Akita Winery Tour, we introduce Akitano Winery & Garden Farm in Kitaakita City.
With the arrival of 2023, half of January has already passed in the blink of an eye. Although we often see the characters for "New Spring" around the New Year, season-wise it is still freezing midwinter. There are still many areas with a heavy accumulation of snow.
Happy New Year. Thank you for your continued support of NIHON WINE.JP this year. Again this year, our site will bring you a variety of information about Japanese wine from across Japan.
This is our series touring Miyagi wineries with Ms. Azusa Segawa. This time, we head deep into the mountains, about an hour's drive from Sendai City. Our destination is Ryomi Winery, the final stop in this series.
The next destination on our tour of Miyagi wineries with Ms. Azusa Segawa is—what, an elementary school!? No, it is "Fattoria AL FIORE," a winery housed in a repurposed former school building. The winery is located on the former site of the gymnasium.
With the arrival of the summer holiday season, long-awaited events and festivals are starting up again across various regions. We are also increasingly seeing news about summer festivities in the Tohoku region, which is easily accessible from Tokyo.
August is here, and summer is finally in full swing! It is now the season when the grapes grow rapidly. This time, our reporting team headed to Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, in the height of summer.
When thinking of Toyama Prefecture, many people likely recall the bounty of the sea, best represented by Toyama Bay. Among these spots, Himi Fishing Port is a treasure trove of delicious seafood. Located on a gentle hill just a short drive from the town of Himi lies the destination of this trip, SAYS FARM.
We are now in the second half of July, and Marine Day has already passed. Heading to the ocean in a hot summer like this is fantastic! When it comes to Japan's seas, the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan are wonderful, of course, but the Seto Inland Sea is also lovely. In these calm waters surrounded by land, leisure activities like marine sports are very popular.
At the "Yamagata Wine Bar" wine event we recently covered, various wineries gathered from Yamagata and neighboring prefectures, making for a hugely exciting event.
Yamafuji Grape Garden is a vineyard in Toyama Prefecture with a history spanning over 90 years. Horaisan Winery crafts wines using these historic grapes. When it comes to the history of winemaking, attention often tends to focus on Yamanashi, but Toyama actually has wine that has evolved over a long history of its own...
In late June, amid unseasonably hot weather, an award ceremony was held in Kudanshita, Tokyo, for winners of Feminalise, a wine competition judged exclusively by women. The competition also includes a Japanese wine division, bringing together numerous wineries on that day.
Before you know it, it's midsummer. Speaking of summer, the sea is great, but the mountains are wonderful too, aren't they! Did you know that in Japan, there are wineries even deep in the mountains?
Yamagata Prefecture is known as a fruit kingdom. Among its regions, Kaminoyama City is an ideal location for fruit cultivation due to its basin climate and abundant sunshine. Woody Farm & Winery began as an orchard primarily focused on growing such fruits. On the way to the winery, a vast expanse of…
In recent years, the popularity of wines from Yamagata Prefecture has been rapidly skyrocketing! In response, new wineries are appearing one after another. This is likely influenced by the fact that the area is an ideal region for growing good grapes.
A New Winery in Toyama Prefecture When you think of Toyama Prefecture, I imagine the image of "delicious fish from Toyama Bay" inevitably comes to mind strongly. Recently, however, winemaking has also become increasingly active in Toyama Prefecture.
Discovering the Charm of Takeda Winery. Takeda Winery is located at the foot of Yamagata Prefecture's Zao Mountain Range, near Kaminoyama Onsen. Its history is long, said to date back to the Taisho era. The current president, Noriko Kishihira, is the 5th generation.
The wines of Iwasaki Jozo are affectionately known by the nickname 'Honjo Wine.' It is one of the long-established wineries in Yamanashi Prefecture. This time, we went behind the scenes at the historic Iwasaki Jozo.
There are many wineries in Katsunuma Town, Yamanashi Prefecture. And there are also many wineries that have continued for a long time purely as family-run operations. This time, among them, we visited "Chateau Katsunuma," the oldest family-run winery in Katsunuma.
When it comes to Yamanashi wine, many people likely think of "Koshu wine." This time, we introduce "Katsunuma Jozo," a long-established winery that is exceptionally dedicated to winemaking using the Koshu variety.
Do you know the term "urban winery" (city-based winery)? Just as the name suggests, it refers to a winery located in the city. The word "urban" often brings to mind major cities like Tokyo or Osaka, but in various areas, these urban wineries every year...
Yamanashi is home to many winery with a long history. Among them is Kai winery, with a history stretching back to its founding in Tenpo 5 (1834). True to its name, it is a winery located in what was known as "Kai" Province back in the Sengoku period.
When it comes to red Japanese wine, don't many people think of "Muscat Bailey A"? This MBA (Muscat Bailey A) is an indigenous Japanese... developed by Zenbei Kawakami, founder of Iwanohara Vineyard in Niigata Prefecture.
Hello everyone. I'm NORIZO, Chief Editor of NIHON WINE.JP. In early July, before the heat had really set in, some incredible news arrived!
The rainy season is finally over! And the season has turned all at once to summer. But it's suddenly so hot... *sweat*. In a season like this, it makes you want to head to the highlands in search of cooler air, doesn't it? When it comes to a winery that perfectly fits that highland image where a cool, refreshing breeze blows through, this is the place.
When you think of Nagano, what image comes to mind? With the grand nature of the Alps, highland resorts, and so on, you probably have somewhat of a vacation-like image of the area, don't you?
Wine in Yamagata Prefecture? That's right. In fact, the number of wineries in Yamagata Prefecture has been growing in recent years, and the quality of their wine is improving year after year! This time, we turn our focus to two wineries among them that are particularly dedicated to "natural wine."
What comes to mind when you hear "Yamagata wine"? I can almost hear people saying, "When you think of Yamagata, it's all about cherries, right?" (laughs).
There are many places where you can drink Japanese wine, but when it comes to an establishment with a wide selection that also boasts an extensive lineup of wines by the glass, aren't they surprisingly hard to find?
Marufuji Winery Co., Ltd. is located in Katsunuma, Yamanashi Prefecture. Celebrating its 130th anniversary, it is a venerable, long-established winery and a well-known mainstay of the Katsunuma area. Many people have likely heard the name of their wine, [Rubaiyat].
Soryu Winery in Yamanashi Prefecture has unveiled its new storage facility, "Budobashi Cellar," to the media for the first time! Mr. Suzuki, the president, guided us inside this massive cellar, which was completed in March 2021. In addition, their vineyard where Koshu is cultivated using trellis training is also being revealed for the first time.
Domaine Hide is located in Minami-Alps City, Yamanashi Prefecture. We had its representative, Mr. Hide, speak at length about the appeal of Domaine Hide's wine. It is packed with the charm of Domaine Hide's red wine, which is as crystal-clear as the blue sky over the Southern Alps.
A few months had passed since our last reporting tour. The NIHON WINE.JP team headed to Katsunuma-cho in Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, where early spring was just underway and the cherry blossoms were past their peak. A wonderful landscape came into view, blending the colors of the remaining cherry blossoms with peach blossoms.
When you think of the container that wine comes in, it is that glass bottle. Yes, that thing commonly known as a "wine bottle." If you are a wine beginner, you have probably wondered why there are differences in the shapes and colors of wine bottles.
In recent years, we have increasingly seen sparkling wines made using secondary fermentation in the bottle among Japanese wines as well. Also known as the method used for Champagne, secondary fermentation in the bottle is a very labor-intensive process.
Croquettes are one of many Western dishes adapted into Japanese cuisine. Found everywhere—supermarkets, convenience stores, butcher shops, restaurants, and specialty shops—it is a dish with an exceptionally high "encounter rate*" for people in Japan. *Refers to the appearance rate of enemies in RPGs.
While preparing a lavish meal for a wine pairing is wonderful, some of you might prefer to keep your pairings as simple as possible. For those seeking that kind of pairing, there is an ingredient we highly recommend: green onions (specifically, long green onions).
Early one morning with the arrival of winter in the air, the NIHON WINE.JP reporting team gathered at a location in Tokyo. The destination was the "Niigata Wine Coast." Blessed with unexpectedly mild and warm weather, traffic flowed smoothly.
I visited the Niigata Wine Coast! I was worried it might be cold since it was December, but around noon the sun came out and made it delightfully warm. It was the perfect day for a winery tour! The Niigata Wine Coast is a wine region that is home to five unique wineries.
Coco Farm & Winery is located in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture. This online winery tour features exclusive coverage by the NIHON WINE.JP editorial team. Enjoy beautiful footage of the winery shot under clear blue skies, along with engaging commentary from Shun Ikegami!
We have received footage from Mr. Hide of Domaine Hide in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture! Please enjoy Mr. Hide's smile alongside magnificent video of the winery and surrounding scenery. Click here for information on Domaine Hide!
Hello♪ I'm wine talent Yui! September is my birthday month. I was so happy to receive so many birthday messages. I've reached an age where getting older isn't quite cause for celebration anymore, though...
Hello! I am wine talent Yui Chiyoda. My family runs a Shinto shrine, and I am a qualified Shinto priest. Currently, alongside my entertainment work, I serve at the shrine whenever there are rituals and festivals. I have an older sister, and eventually, the two of us plan to take over the shrine together.
"I cooked a special meal today, so I'll buy some wine!♪" You eagerly head to the supermarket, but with red, white, and sparkling wines lined up endlessly on the shelves, you have no idea what to buy!!
"What kind of wine do you like?" When a sommelier asks you this at a restaurant, how do you usually answer? "A fruity white wine," "a rich, heavy red wine"—we often hear phrases like these.