Bringing Refreshing Relief to Sweltering Days! Delivered from Heavy Snow Country: Housui Winery

Iwamizawa City in Hokkaido experiences particularly heavy snowfall, even for Hokkaido, and is designated by the national government as a "Special Heavy Snowfall Zone."
Producing wines that perfectly fit this image of snow is Housui Winery, located in Housui-cho, Iwamizawa City.

A long-awaited reservoir was completed in 1920 (Taisho 9), and the water carried to the local coal mines and farms in the Kitamura district was dubbed "treasure water supporting the local industries." It is said that this is how the surrounding area came to be named Housui-cho ("Treasure Water Town").

We spoke with Mr. Yuki Kubodera, Director and Winemaker at Housui Winery, about how they employ various ingenious methods in such a harsh climate and what kinds of wines they produce.

Actually, Mr. Kubodera hails from Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan's top wine producer. He later studied winemaking in Tokyo, but rather than returning to Yamanashi, he specifically chose this location in Hokkaido for his job.

Despite having numerous wineries in his hometown, he was completely captivated by this land. Driven by a clear image of the wine he wanted to make, he chose this location far from his hometown and works tirelessly on winemaking every day.

Housui Winery was founded in 2006 and marks its 20th year this year. It was the very first winery established in Iwamizawa.
As a result, its oldest vines are 20-year-old Chardonnay.
On its estate vineyard of approximately 9 hectares (equivalent to two Tokyo Domes), 11 grape varieties are cultivated, primarily Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They also grow German varieties such as Bacchus, Kerner, and Lemberger.

The latitude is 37 degrees North, the same as Bordeaux.However, the climate is quite different from that of Bordeaux,It is a heavy snow region with plenty of rain in summer and typically around 2 meters of snow accumulation in winter.Here, too, the vines are trained diagonally. Every year after harvest, ingenious measures are taken to lay the grape branches and wires flat under the snow.

The Ishikari River flows as if dividing the Sorachi region, and this site sits on its left bank.
The vineyard is located on an east-facing slope of a small hill. With an incline of about 30 degrees, it offers good drainage, which naturally makes the vineyard work quite challenging.

Like Takizawa Winery in Mikasa City, the soil here was an ancient seabed 10 million years ago. At a depth of about 1 meter where the grape roots reach, they hit this former seabed soil layer, absorbing minerals and a distinct sense of structure.

The wines of Housui Winery areWines characterized by beautiful acidity, delicate grapes, and clarityare its defining features.

"Above all, I want to make wine that brings out the characteristics of the grapes," says Mr. Kubodera.

Pressing whole clusters, avoiding overly long fermentation, keeping extraction moderate, and so on. He strives to keep winemaking as simple as possible, letting the character of the grapes express itself directly.

Takemi Kurauchi, Representative Director of Housui Winery (center)

On the first floor, there is a shop and tasting corner where you can sample wines you are interested in using small glasses.
On the second floor of the winery, there is a cafe space that visitors can use freely—a system allowing you to bring a bottle purchased at the shop on the first floor directly upstairs to drink.
Through the large windows, you can look down at the brewing facilities on the first floor.

Here are the wines we tasted on this visit.

RICCA Yuki no Keifu Chardonnay
The Yuki no Keifu series features a snowflake design on the bottle, giving it a wonderfully refreshing impression.
Nuances of white flowers and honey. 10% oak-aged.
It beautifully expresses the clean acidity characteristic of this region. A beautiful acidity and solid grape flavor linger long on the finish. A pleasantly mineral-driven wine that brings out the local terroir nicely.

RICCA Yuki no Keifu Lemberger
A variety of German origin, also known as Blaufränkisch.
Production of this grape in Hokkaido has reportedly been decreasing in recent years.

Aromas of amber candy and red berries, accompanied by a smoky scent, followed by rich grape flavors. A light red wine with pleasant, fine-grained tannins.

Orange pink

A sweet rosé wine made by blending 70% Portland, a white grape, and 30% Seibel, a red grape, after fermenting them separately.
Portland is a familiar table grape that has long lined the shelves of local supermarkets in Hokkaido. The muscat and candy aromas derived from Portland are joined by strawberry notes from Seibel, making it exceptionally charming.
With a sweet-and-sour flavor that matches its appearance, it would pair well with ethnic cuisine or serve wonderfully as a dessert.
It would also be delightful enjoyed with fresh fruit added.

This wine comes from a region of Japan known for particularly heavy snowfall, offering beautiful acidity and a minerally quality.
It possesses a sense of freshness and clarity that truly evokes the thought of snow.
The scorching hot days have already begun, but refreshing wines like this are sure to bring a cool relief to your table.

https://craftwineshop.com/collections/housui-winery