1
Chateau Mercian Katsunuma Winery

Long-established winery that started the history of Japanese wine

Chateau Mercian's predecessor was the Dainippon Yamanashi Budoshu Company, which was founded in 1877 and is said to be the first private wine company in Japan. It is now one of the top-class wine companies in Japan and has its Katsunuma Winery in Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture. In addition, "Jyonohira Vineyard," a company-managed vineyard in the Katsunuma district, started hedge-type cultivation in 1984 with the aim of growing the highest quality Cabernet Sauvignon in Japan. Chateau Mercian Jonodaira Orthus" made from these grapes has been well received both in Japan and abroad as the brand's representative brand.
The "Visitor Center" attached to Katsunuma Winery offers tours (for a fee) of the winery's brewing process and Property.

Wine tasting with a view of Katsunuma's nature

At the tasting café in the wine gallery, visitors can taste more than 20 brands of wine. Among them, the tasting sets are themed, making it easy for even wine novices to choose. There are always about five different sets, including selections that are only available at the winery and brands that have won awards at domestic and international competitions, although the themes change with the seasons.
The café menu also includes light meals that go well with wine, which can be enjoyed on the "Wine Gallery Garden," a grassy area adjacent to the café on sunny days.

Chateau Mercian Katsunuma Winery

• 1425-1 Shimo-Iwasaki, Katsunuma-cho, Koshu City, Yamanashi MAP
• 8 minutes drive from JR Katsunuma Budosato Station
• Visitor Center & Wine Museum: 9:30-16:30, Tasting Cafe: 10:00- (Food L.O. 15:30, Wine L.O. 16:15)
• Tuesdays, Year-end and New Year holidays *Closed irregularly in winter and other seasons; check official website for details.
• Winery tours: Standard course from 1,000 yen *Reservations are required for winery tours, and those aged 20 and older may participate. Reservations are required for winery tours.
• 0553-44-1011
• Free of charge

2
Katsunuma Brewery

Pioneer of Koshu wine that is attracting attention overseas

A traditional winery founded in 1937, Katsunuma Winery is located in the Katsunuma district of Katsunuma Prefecture. Under the motto of "making wine that reflects the climate of Katsunuma," the winery handles everything from grape cultivation to winemaking.
Particular emphasis is placed on wines made from Koshu, a grape indigenous to Japan. The representative brand is "Alga Blanca Isehara," which won a silver medal at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2018, one of the world's largest wine competitions.
The "Alga Blanca Brillante" from the same series is also noteworthy. It is a dry sparkling wine made with the same secondary fermentation in the bottle as champagne.

Renovated old private house. A retro-modern wine spot

The main house is a 140-year-old Japanese-style house and has been selected as a Japanese Heritage Site by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Inside the building, there is a wine cellar and a "glass gallery" displaying wine glasses made by Riedel, a high-end crystal manufacturer, which can be visited free of charge.
In addition, the "Staff/staff member course" of the winery tour is a 2-hour experience that includes a petit wine lecture on the history and cultivation of the "Koshu grape," a guided tour of the vineyard, and tastings. You will also learn about dishes that go well with wine, making wine much more accessible after participating in the tour.
The "Tasting Course," in which you can choose your favorite wine from a selection of eight different wine servers, is also popular.

Katsunuma Brewery

• 371 Shimo-Iwasaki, Katsunuma-cho, Koshu City, Yamanashi MAP
• 10 minutes drive from JR Katsunuma Budosato Station
• Approx. 15-30 min. ride on Katsunuma Community Bus, approx. 2 min. walk from "Shimo-Iwazaki" bus stop (6 buses a day)
• 9:00～16:30
• Year-end and New Year's holidays
• Staff/staff member course: 3,000 yen, Tasting course: 1,500 yen *Reservations are required for each course. Please check the official website for details such as times, etc.
• 0553-44-0069 (Mon-Fri, except holidays)
• Free of charge

3
Kramubon Wine

Koshu wines that focus on the terroir of Katsunuma

The 130-year-old main building is a wine salon with a retro atmosphere, a tasting room where nearly 20 types of Kuramubon wines are tasted and sold, and a tatami-floored rest area.
Kramubon wines are made from grapes grown on the company's own farm or purchased from contracted farmers. The grapes are grown naturally without fertilizers or chemical pesticides, and are slowly fermented with yeast derived from grapes living in the local Katsunuma area. The result is a wine with a fruity, gentle flavor. We especially recommend the dry white wine "N Koshu," made from the Koshu grape, which is full of flavor.
The winery tour includes a visit to the vineyard, barrel cellar, wine cellar, and wine reference room, and takes 30 to 40 minutes. Tasting is included.

Kramubon Wine

• 835 Shimo-Iwasaki, Katsunuma-cho, Koshu City, Yamanashi MAP
• 7 minutes drive from JR Katsunuma Budosato Station
• Approx. 13-27 min. ride on the Katsunuma Area Citizen Bus, approx. 3 min. walk from the "Library & Cultural Center" stop (6 buses a day)
• 9:00 - 17:00, store - 12:00, 13:00 - (tasting reception - 16:30)
• Year-end and New Year's holidays
• Winery tours (tours for general tourists) 500 yen, wine tasting 500 yen *Both are refundable for wine and fruit juice purchases. Reservations required for winery tours. Check the official website for details such as opening hours.
• 0553-44-0111
• Free of charge

4
Chateau Jun

Wines that preserve the flavor of the grapes and are a perfect match with Japanese cuisine

A small winery in Katsunuma. One winemaker is in total charge of everything from grape cultivation and selection to vinification and bottling, paying close attention to every detail of the winemaking process. The wines are made with the aim of producing "honest wines" that make the most of the soil unique to the region, and have a gentle taste with natural flavors. The wines have a delicate taste that never gets boring and go well with Japanese food, making them perfect as daily wines.
The white wine "Chateau Jun Koshu" has won consecutive prizes at the Japan Wine Competition (now the Japan Wine Competition), and its subtle sweetness, soft acidity, and elegant aroma reminiscent of ginjo-shu (ginjo sake) can be enjoyed.
At the direct sales stand, 6 to 20 types of in-house wines are sold, depending on the time of year. Rare wines available only locally and seasonal products are sometimes available.

Chateau Jun

• 3308 Hishiyama, Katsunuma-cho, Koshu City, Yamanashi MAP
• 13 min. walk or 5 min. drive from JR Katsunuma Budosato Station
• Wine stand: 13:00-16:00 (Sat., Sun., Holidays: 11:00~) *Shorter hours when wine preparation work is in progress
• Wednesdays, 3rd Saturdays and Sundays *Scheduled closures
• 0553-44-2501
• Free of charge

5
Okunoda Winery

Mineral-rich natural wines that express the terroir

The winery's motto is "Careful winemaking made possible by our small size. The winery selects only the sweetest local grapes, mainly from its own grapes grown by natural farming methods, to create wines rich in fruitiness.
In addition to tasting courses and winery tours, the park offers seasonal events (for a fee) by reservation. For example, at wine parties held in spring and summer, about 10 different wines, including new releases, are served, and a garden barbecue and snacks are also arranged with professional chefs. In addition, the Grape Picking Experience during the harvest season, which includes lunch and wine tasting, is so popular that more than 300 people visit every year.
There is also the Okunoda Vineyard Club, a club where visitors can learn about viticulture and experience working with grapes throughout the year.

Okunoda Winery

• 2529-3 Ushioku, Shioyama, Koshu-shi, Yamanashi MAP
• 20 minutes walk or 5 minutes drive from JR Shioyama Station
• 10:00 - 12:00, 13:00 - 17:00
• Wednesday
• Winery tour course (winery tour) 1,000 yen, Premium tasting course 500 yen, Wine party around 7,000 yen, Harvest party around 3,200 yen *Reservations required, check the official website for details such as times.
• 0553-33-9988（Okunoda Budoshu Brewery)
• Free of charge

6
Kizan Yooshu Kogyo

A winery known only to those in the know with many fans

A family-run wine farm whose motto is "wine rooted in the community. Using only grapes from their own farm in Shioyama, they produce high quality wines unique to Yamanashi Prefecture.
The store corner features a lineup of four standard varieties. Most of them are reasonably priced in the 1,000 yen per bottle range, but their fruity and harmonious flavors are popular among wine connoisseurs. Among them, the dry "Kisan Wine White" is the flagship product made from 100% Koshu grapes grown in the prefecture. In addition to a sweet aroma of peach and honey, the wine has a nutty flavor, crisp acidity, and a good level of astringency.
Sparkling wine and brandy made from the Koshu grape are also hidden gems.

Kiyama Wine Industry

• 3313 Mikkaichiba, Shioyama, Koshu City, Yamanashi MAP
• 10 min. drive from JR Shioyama Station
• 9:00-17:00
• Closed on weekends and holidays
• 0553-33-3024
• Free of charge

7
Lumiere Winery

A traditional brand that leads the Japanese wine world

Since its establishment in 1885, this prestigious winery has been cultivating grapes by making the best use of nature's power through herbaceous cultivation, with the aim of producing world-class wines. Many of its brands, including "Chateaumeiller," which was served at the Imperial banquet, are highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad.
Winery tours are available in 30-minute and one-hour courses. Staff/staff members guide visitors through the vineyards, vinification building, stone cellar fermentation tanks, and underground cellar. The stone fermentation tank, which was built about 120 years ago, is a registered tangible cultural property designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. It is underground, and thanks to the cooling effect of the granite, the temperature inside is kept at a low level. The store sells "Ishigura Wain" fermented here in limited quantities.

Premium wines can be found at the store.

After the tour, visit the Restaurant and Wine Shop, where you can taste "Yamanashi-French," which makes the most of local ingredients. There is also a tasting corner where visitors can sample more than about a dozen types of wine for a fee.
In addition, from late August to late October, there is a tasting corner for "Sturm" wine, which is still in the process of fermentation. It has a fresh taste with a slight sweetness and low alcohol content, and the carbonation is refreshing. This wine is only available at the store and will be discontinued as soon as it is gone, so it is recommended to go early in the season.
A wine festival is held in late October. In addition to enjoying back vintages of wine and snack stalls by famous stores in the prefecture, there are also live music and games planned.

Lumiere Winery

• 624 Minaminoro, Ichinomiya-cho, Fuefuki-shi, Yamanashi MAP
• 13 min. by car from JR Katsunuma Budosato Station
• Store 9:30-17:30, Restaurant 11:30~L.O.14:00 (Saturday, Sunday, and holidays: 11:00~ and 12:45~ with change of hours; please inquire), 17:30~L.O.20:00 *Reservations required by the day before for dinner.
• Year-end and New Year's holidays; Restaurant is open on Tuesdays (open if Tuesday is a national holiday; closed every day from September to November; closed on Mondays and Tuesdays from January to March).
• Winery tours: 500 yen for 30-minute course, 1,000 yen for 60-minute course *Reservations required for winery tours. Reservations required for winery tours. Check the official website for times and other details.
• Winery 0553-47-0207, Restaurant 0553-47-4624
• Free of charge

8
Honbo Shuzo Mars Hosaka Winery

A talented manufacturer that has been the face of Japan at international conferences

Mars Wine was the first wine made from grapes grown in Yamanashi Prefecture to win the gold medal at the "Domestic Wine Competition (now the Japan Wine Competition)," and was also selected as the wine for the luncheon hosted by the prime minister's wife at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in 2008.
Following the opening of the Yamanashi Winery in Ishiwa-machi, the Hosaka Winery opened in 2017. It stands at an elevation of 500 meters above sea level overlooking the Kofu Basin.
Wine making at the winery is based on the gravity flow method, which takes advantage of the difference in elevation of this slope. This system allows the grapes and wine to move by natural gravity, which reduces the stress on the grapes and wine compared to pumping them up, preserving the original flavor of the ingredients and producing a flavorful wine full of deliciousness.

Wine bars where you can enjoy their famous wines at reasonable prices

The tour space includes the visitor's wing and the winery wing. The store in the visitor's wing offers about 80 brands of wine, including winery exclusive products, as well as tasteful wine accessories.
There is also a wine bar where visitors can taste about 20 varieties of wine, including the flagship Hosaka Hinoshiro, white wines made from Koshu grapes, and red wines made from Hosaka grapes, etc. Priced reasonably at 200 yen and up per glass, the wines are made using the cold maceration method, in which grapes are fermented at a low temperature to produce the wine. The wine bar also offers a variety of wines, such as cold maceration wines and orange wines, which are made by fermenting grapes at low temperatures for as little as 200 yen per glass.
In the winery building, visitors can watch the winemaking process during the preparation period from late July to late October.

Honbo Shuzo Mars Hosaka Winery

• 8-1 Kami-Imai, Hosaka-cho, Nirasaki City, Yamanashi (at Hosaka Nature Park) MAP
• 15 min. drive from JR Nirasaki Station
• 9:00-17:00 (10:00-16:00 from December to February)
• Dec. 29 - Jan. 3 (temporary closing)
• Free of charge
• Reservations and inquiries: 0551-45-8883
• Free of charge

9
Sadoya Winery

A wine resort with a southern French-style townscape

This wine resort is lined with Western-style buildings with a Southern French taste. Properties include a brewery and underground cellar, a wine boutique, a restaurant serving French cuisine that makes the most of Yamanashi ingredients, a chapel, and a wedding venue.
The winery has been in operation for four generations since the Taisho Era, and its wines made from grapes originating from the Bordeaux region of France, a world-class wine producing region, have an elegant taste. The wine boutique offers about 15 to 20 brands based on the concept of "wines to be enjoyed with meals. Among them, "Chateaubriand," which is the origin of Sadoya, is a wine that has won numerous awards at international competitions.
The tour takes visitors to the barrel cellar, an exhibition room that reuses former storage tanks, and the underground cellar where Sadoya's old vintages and other wines are stored. Wine tasting is also available.

Sadoya Winery

• 3-3-24 Kitaguchi, Kofu City, Yamanashi MAP
• 8 min. walk from JR Kofu Station
• Wine boutique 10:00-18:00, Restaurant 11:30-14:30 (L.O.13:30), Saturday, Sunday and holidays-13:30 (L.O.12:30), 17:30-21:00 (L.O.20:00) *Reservations required 2 days in advance for dinner
• Year-end and New Year's holidays
• Winery tour 1,000 yen *Reservations required. Reservations required. Check official website for times and other details.
• 0120-25-3108, Restaurant 055-288-8723
• Free of charge

10
Chateraise Belle-Foret Winery

Wineries with plenty to see and do

A winery of the Chateraise Group, a confectionery manufacturer headquartered in Yamanashi Prefecture. In addition to the vineyards and wine factory, there is a theater room where visitors can learn about the history of wine, and the Roman Glass Museum, which displays earthenware and ancient glass used to transport wine.
In addition, the observation house has a store with more than 30 types of wine, and cheese and cakes that go well with wine can be purchased. Visitors can enjoy free tasting and sampling of wines, original cheeses, and cheesecakes along with a magnificent view of the vineyards with the Southern Alps and the Yatsugatake Mountains in the background.
For souvenirs, be sure to try the "draft wine from the barrel," which is sold exclusively at the site. The unfiltered, unheated wine is bottled directly from the barrel and is popular for its fresh aroma and mouth feel.

Chateraise Belle Foret Winery

• 1954 Shimo-Imai, Kai-city, Yamanashi MAP
• 5 min. walk from JR Shiozaki Station
• 9:00-17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
• Dec. 29-Jan. 4
• Roman Glass Museum Adults 500 yen, Junior high school and high school students 300 yen, Free for elementary school students and younger
• 0551-28-4451
• Free of charge

11
Komaki Vineyard

Vineyards where you can enjoy slow life and slow food

A grape farm stretches over the hills of Kobuchizawa, at the southern foot of Yatsugatake. The garden grows grapes for wine as well as vegetables and herbs using pesticide-free methods, and offers a hands-on cultivation experience program that includes tea and meals with hands-on farm work.
In the wine seminar, guests can learn about the cultivation methods and characteristics of different grape varieties while touring the vineyard, learn how wine is made and how to use tools such as glasses and decanters in the café, or learn about wine on a topic of their choice. Another attraction is the opportunity to taste natural wines made from grapes grown on the company's own farm. Guests can also savor local delicacies such as a menu prepared by a vegetable sommelier, seasonal herb tea, and sweets made from freshly picked blueberries.

Enjoy Wine Activities and Stay in Elegance

Only one couple per day can stay overnight, so you can savor wine without worrying about your return. Beginning with welcome tea and sweets with a view of the vineyard, dinner is served with original natural wine, organic vegetables, and dishes using local ingredients. In addition, there are a variety of activities such as wine seminars and vineyard yoga (for a fee).
The "Adult Wine and Vineyard Glamping" plan includes a stay in a tent pitched in a birch forest on the property. The "Night Walk through the Vineyards," which includes a walk through the vineyards at night and enjoying wine around a bonfire, and an outdoor breakfast are also available, offering an experience unique to a vineyard in the midst of nature.

Komaki Vineyard

• 8033-1 Kobuchizawa-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi MAP
• 15 min. walk or 5 min. drive from JR Kobuchizawa Station
• 10:00-18:00 (after 18:00, Jan-Mar: reservation required)
• April-December: Monday-Thursday (except holidays), January-March *Overnight stay is available all year round.
• Experience cultivation program from 3,240 yen, wine seminar from 3,240 yen, Vineyard yoga from 2,700 yen, Vineyard tour & tasting from 2,160 yen, overnight stay from 14,000 yen (tax not included), wine and vineyard glamping for adults from 21,000 yen (tax not included)
• 0551-36-5188
• Free of charge
• Inquire for details.

12
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Yatsugatake

A wine resort with a European townscape on the Yatsugatake plateau

This highland resort is located at the foot of a 960-meter-high mountain, about 90 minutes by car from Tokyo, and offers a 360-degree view of Yatsugatake, the Southern Alps mountain range, Mt. It is a summer retreat in summer and a place to enjoy winter sports in winter. The Property, which was designed by a world-renowned architect to resemble an Italian mountain town, is equipped with Guest rooms where you can relax as if you were living in a house, an indoor pool with large waves, a Books & Café, the YATSUGATAKE Wine House with 24 kinds of wines from Yamanashi and Nagano Prefectures, Activities in the magnificent nature, and a restaurant where you can taste the local wines and meals. The YATSUGATAKE Wine House offers 24 varieties of wines from Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures, and activities in the magnificent natural environment. The Pet Room, where you can spend time with your dog, will be renovated in April 2020.

Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Yatsugatake

• 129-1 Kobuchizawa-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi MAP
• 5 minutes drive from JR Kobuchizawa Station, 5 minutes from Kobuchizawa Interchange on Chuo Expressway
• Free shuttle bus available from JR Kobuchizawa Station
• YYgrill" Breakfast 7:00-9:30 (L.O.), Lunch 11:30-13:30 (L.O.), Dinner 17:30-20:00 (L.O.) *Pets are not allowed at dinner.
  BOOKS & CAFE" 10:00-22:00 (L.O.21:30), Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 9:00
• YYgrill" and "BOOKS & CAFE" are open every day. For details, check the website.
• 050-3134-8093（RISONARE Reservation Center/9:30-18:00)
• Free of charge
• For reservations, click here.
  Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Yatsugatake Reservation Site