Japanese Wine Guide: Regions, Grapes, Labels & Tokyo Shops

"Japanese wine" means wine made in Japan using only grapes grown in Japan. The term has been defined by national rules since 2018, and only wines that meet this condition may say "Japanese wine" (日本ワイン) on the label.

Today Japanese wine is winning top prizes at international competitions, Japan's native grape varieties have been added to the international list of wine grape varieties, and its name is starting to become known abroad. In this article, we use official sources such as the National Tax Agency of Japan to summarize the definition of Japanese wine and how to read the label, the main regions and grape varieties, and how it is regarded around the world, and introduce shops in Tokyo where you can buy and drink Japanese wine.

"Japanese wine" and "domestic wine" are not the same

The national rules (the National Tax Agency's Labeling Standards for the Manufacturing Process and Quality of Fruit Wine, etc., in force since October 30, 2018) divide wine into three categories.

*Scroll the table sideways. Based on the National Tax Agency's pamphlet on alcohol labeling rules.

Before these rules, wine made only from Japanese grapes and wine made from imported grape concentrate were both called "domestic wine" (国産ワイン), and it was hard to tell them apart from the label alone. In fact, according to a National Tax Agency survey, Japanese wine accounts for only about one-third of the wine made in Japan, and most of the rest is made from imported grape concentrate.

How to read the label: the key number is "85%"

• The words "Japanese wine": Only Japanese wine may show this on the front label. The information panel on the back label also says "日本ワイン", and the ingredients are listed as, for example, "ぶどう（日本産）" (grapes, product of Japan) or "ぶどう（山梨県産）" (grapes, product of Yamanashi Prefecture)
• Region name (e.g., "Yamanashi Wine"): Only if at least 85% of the grapes were harvested in that region and the wine was made there
• Grape variety (e.g., "Koshu"): Only if at least 85% of the grapes are that variety. For two varieties, they must total at least 85% and be listed in order of proportion
• Vintage (e.g., "2024"): Only if at least 85% of the grapes were harvested in the same year

In other words, if the front label shows "Japanese wine" together with a region, a variety, and a vintage, the national rules guarantee that the contents match.

Main regions: Yamanashi, Nagano, Hokkaido, and Yamagata

According to the National Tax Agency's latest survey (April 2024 to March 2025; a voluntary-response questionnaire), Japanese wine production is as follows. There are 519 wineries across Japan.

*Scroll the table sideways. Source: National Tax Agency of Japan, "Overview of the Liquor Manufacturing and Wholesale Industries" (2025 survey). Because it totals voluntary responses, the figures can change significantly from year to year. Grape varieties are based on the breakdown of grapes received in each region.

• Yamanashi: A basin surrounded by mountains, relatively sheltered from the rainy season and typhoons, with large temperature swings between day and night. Winemaking is said to have begun around 1870, and it is the main home of Koshu (over 90% of Japan's Koshu comes from Yamanashi). Dry Koshu is known for citrus aromas and lively acidity
• Nagano: Most vineyards are 500m or more above sea level, with a cool climate and little rain. Kikyogahara in Shiojiri is known for Merlot
• Hokkaido: One of the few regions in Japan that falls into the coolest climate category. It suits German varieties, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, and the main growing areas are Yoichi, Iwamizawa, Furano, and Ikeda
• Yamagata: Centered on the slopes along the Mogami River. It stays cool even at harvest time, so the grapes keep their natural aromas and fresh acidity
• Osaka: Centered on the Kawachi area (Habikino, Kashiwara, and others). A long-established region where the first full-scale winery opened in 1914

The Geographical Indications (GIs) of these five regions are also protected in the EU (Yamanashi and Hokkaido are protected in the United States as well).

Signature grape varieties of Japanese wine

• Koshu (white): The most widely used wine grape in Japan (3,567t). Crisp acidity and citrus aromas. Made in a wide range of styles, from dry to orange wine
• Muscat Bailey A (red): The most widely used red variety (2,388t). A Japanese-born variety created by Zenbei Kawakami at Iwanohara Vineyard in Niigata by crossing Bailey with Muscat Hamburg
• Merlot, Chardonnay: European varieties increasingly planted in Nagano and elsewhere
• Niagara, Concord, Delaware: Grapes also familiar as table grapes. Aromatic, and made in styles from sweet to dry
• Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, Kerner: Varieties gaining ground in cool Hokkaido

How Japanese wine is regarded around the world

• Japanese varieties on the international list: Koshu (in 2010) and Muscat Bailey A (in 2013) were registered on the variety list of the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine). It was the first time Japan's native varieties were internationally recognized as wine grapes, and wines labeled "Koshu" could now be exported to the EU
• Top prize at an international competition: At the Decanter World Wine Awards, one of the world's largest wine competitions, "Tomi Koshu 2022" won the top Best in Show award in 2024 (one of 50 wines out of 18,143 entries). It was the first time a wine entered from Japan had done so. In 2025, Japanese wines won eight Gold medals or higher (compared with one Gold the year before), five of them Koshu. Judges have praised how refined Koshu has become
• Exports: According to the National Tax Agency survey, exports of Japanese wine by the producers who responded were 203kl, worth about ¥706 million, in 2024. The main destinations were the United States, China, and Hong Kong (because the survey is voluntary, this is not a complete count)

Buying and drinking Japanese wine in Tokyo

Tokyo, too, has eight wineries with a record of producing and shipping wine (according to the same National Tax Agency survey). Urban wineries with on-site production are covered in Tokyo's 6 urban wineries, and the autumn new wine and winemaking season in Tokyo Wineries in Autumn and New Wine.

Here are shops listed on this site that put particular emphasis on Japanese wine.

• The Cellar Toranomon Honten: Of about 2,500 items, one of the largest selections in Tokyo, about 300 are Japanese wines. Japanese wine is a focus alongside Burgundy, and there is a tasting room
• Miki Saketen (Komagome): A neighborhood liquor store stocking Japanese wines from producers who are open about how they make their wine, such as Obuse Winery in Nagano, Takahata Winery in Yamagata, Coco Farm in Tochigi, and Ikeda Winery in Yamanashi. Open until 10 p.m.
• Wine Cave Fujikonishi (Nakano-sakaue): 300 to 400 wines centered on natural wine and Japanese wine. The manager visits wine regions once or twice a month to buy, and you can try wines at the paid-tasting kakuuchi (drinking in the shop) counter
• Imadeya (Kiyosumi-shirakawa and Kinshicho PARCO): A carefully chosen selection of sake and domestic wine, and you can try a glass kakuuchi-style before you buy
• WINE SHOP nico Futako-tamagawa: Carries Japanese wine and natural wine, and you can taste new arrivals at the counter while you choose
• AMEKAZE GREEN SPRINGS TACHIKAWA (Tachikawa): A wide range of everyday-priced Japanese wine
• Handa Saketen (Oshiage): About 2,000 bottles in its basement cellar. It also holds kakuuchi events featuring Japanese wine

For shops that sell Japanese wine by area, see Where to Buy Japanese Wine in Tokyo; you can also browse the list of shops strong in Japanese wine.

Choosing your first Japanese wine

• Start with Koshu and Muscat Bailey A: The most widely used white and red varieties in Japan. Drinking these two first gives you a baseline for Japanese wine
• Look for "Japanese wine" and a region name on the label: If it names Yamanashi, Nagano, Hokkaido, or Yamagata, at least 85% of the grapes come from there
• Ask the shop "Where is it from, and what variety is it?": Shops strong in Japanese wine will tell you about the producer and even the vineyard
• Compare during new-wine season: In autumn, wineries across Japan release their new wines. Tasting them side by side with Beaujolais Nouveau, released around the same time, makes the differences in variety and place easy to see

Related: Where to Buy Japanese Wine in Tokyo / Tokyo Urban Wineries / Tokyo Wineries in Autumn

*Definitions and labeling rules are based on the National Tax Agency of Japan's alcohol labeling rules; production volumes, grape varieties, and exports on the National Tax Agency's "Overview of the Liquor Manufacturing and Wholesale Industries" (2025 survey); Geographical Indications on the National Tax Agency's list of designations; variety registration on materials from Yamanashi Prefecture and the Journal of the Brewing Society of Japan; and competition results on announcements by Suntory and Decanter magazine (as of September 2026). You must be 20 or older to drink alcohol in Japan.