Japan – key wine regions

The ‘Mark of Origin’ (原産地表示 Gensanchi Hyōji) is a system of legal designation for wine produced in Japan. In Japan there is no nationwide organisation of legal designation, regardless of domain of origin or types of grape, anything that is fermented domestically can be labelled as ‘Japanese wine’. As a result, each wine production region has developed a system to acknowledge quality wines with clear origin of the grapes. The Yamanashi Winery Association introduced an official mark to appear on the bottle to recognise quality wines made entirely from grapes produced in Yamanashi and certified by the judges. In Yamagata, the Winery Association has introduced the certification sticker for wines made from Yamagata grapes under the designation

system for Yamagata wine and in Nagano, a controlled appellation system has been launched with a certification process that includes quality evaluations according to defined standards of the area, grape varieties, sugar level at harvest, vinification and bottling location. There are extensive efforts to improve quality standards and labelling of wines which will lead to further improvements of quality. As more Japanese wine producers aim to export their wines, improved regulations for viticulture and production are being developed.

The climate varies greatly in each area, with the environment generally having more rainfall and humidity than the major production areas in Europe. Due to the wide range of annual temperatures, from the northern area of Hokkaido, where more than one meter of snow falls in winter, to Kyushu, where the temperature regularly exceeds 30 degrees Celsius in summer, initiatives are being carried out to find cultivation methods that suit each area and high quality grapes are now being grown in each location.

Wine is produced all over Japan, with the major production areas being Yamanashi, Hokkaido, Nagano, and Yamagata. Nagano is less prone to monsoons and grows some of Japan’s best wines from more than 20 wineries. Higher altitude vineyards are planted up to 700m and are producing good Merlot and Chardonnay, but lower slopes seem less promising. Hokkaido is the coolest region by far and is too far north to be influenced by the rainy seasons and makes interesting wines from mostly hybrid grape varieties. Yamagata has shown great improvements in recent years and is also producing some decent Chardonnays and Merlots. Nearer to the capital city of Tokyo lies Yamanashi, which is proving successful for Cabernet Sauvignon, despite struggling to ripen without great attention to canopy management. Koshu vineyards can be found in many locations across Japan. It is traditional for households to have vines in their gardens and, when not eaten fresh, many households produce wine from the grapes for their own consumption. Commercial Koshu vineyards are growing as its potential is understood but there is yet to be a prime location identified for growing this fascinating local variety.