Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. began harvesting grapes at Kobe Winery’s vineyards on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, marking the first harvest since taking over the business.
This year is also the first time Hakutsuru employees have participated in the harvest, carefully picking each bunch by hand.
Here are the details.
About the Grape Harvest
Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. took over the production and sales business of “Kobe Wine” from the Kobe Agriculture and Horticulture Promotion Corporation in December 2024.
At Kobe Winery’s vineyards, harvesting begins with the white variety Riesling and is scheduled to continue through early October with red varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon.
Grapes grown at Kobe Winery and in Kobe’s Kita and Nishi wards will be processed in sequence and released under the “Kobe Wine” brand. Nouveau wine and grape juice are scheduled for sale in autumn.
About the Expected Harvest Volume
According to the Kobe Wine team, rainfall has generally been low and weather conditions favorable, with grapes currently showing better quality than last year. The harvest volume is expected to exceed last year’s level.
The company says it hopes to advance research into winemaking while making use of the knowledge and techniques it has accumulated through sake production.
This year marks Hakutsuru’s first full-scale start of winemaking.
Using 100% Kobe-grown grapes carefully cultivated by local producers, the company says it will continue working to produce wines of an even higher standard.
Reference
Kobe Wine brand site: https://www.hakutsuru.co.jp/kobewine/
Official online shop: https://www.e-hakutsuru.com/collections/kobewine
Kobe Agri Park site: https://kobeagripark.jp/