MaeVino LLC has begun its 2026 vineyard operations in Setagaya Ward and Kawasaki City as part of its “Urban Craft Wine Project,” which grows wine grapes on city rooftops.
Through its vine-owner program, the company is expanding participatory winemaking and is also recruiting rooftop partners as it looks to increase the number of project sites.
Here are the details.
About the “Urban Craft Wine Project”
The “Urban Craft Wine Project” is an initiative that transforms familiar yet underused rooftop spaces scattered throughout cities into “small vineyards” through the cultivation of wine grapes, with the aim of creating a new craft wine culture that gently connects people with one another and with their communities.
In exploring the potential for grape growing in urban environments, the project is receiving guidance from Associate Professor Honma of Tokyo University of Agriculture while examining cultivation methods and operating models suited to the special conditions of rooftops and putting sustainable urban vineyards into practice.
About participatory craft winemaking
MaeVino proposes an experience that goes beyond simply “buying finished wine,” allowing participants to enjoy the process itself: growing, getting involved, waiting and sharing.
Using “Maeve” wine-grape seedlings that can be grown on urban rooftops, participants join the project as wine-grape vine owners. Vine owners can enjoy benefits including:
・Watching over a grapevine marked with a plate bearing their own name
・Taking part in hands-on events held several times a year, such as maintenance sessions and harvests
・Receiving community wine made from that year’s harvest
For more information about MaeVino’s activities, please see the reference URL.
Reference