The best wines of Japan

Discover the best wines of Japan as well as the best winemakers of Japan and estates of Japan to visit. Explore the popular grape varieties of Japan and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Top wines by regions >Japan

Top wines of Japan by region

Looking for a good wine of Japan among the top wines in the region? Check out our tops of the best red, white or effervescent wines of Japan. Also find some food and wine pairings that may be appropriate with these exceptional wines. Learn more about the region and the wines of Japan with technical and enological descriptions.

Great red wines of Japan

See the top 100 best red wines of Japan

Want to buy a red wine of Japan cheap or sell a red wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of Japan

Red wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, game (deer, venison) or lamb such as recipes of borscht (russia), duck breast in foil (barbecue) or lamb delight with tomato and cinnamon.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of Japan

On the nose the red wine of the region of Japan. often reveals types of flavors of strawberries, plum or raspberry and sometimes also flavors of red cherry, non oak or earth.

The best vintages in red wine of Japan

  • 1985With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 1993With an average score of 4.40/5
  • 2018With an average score of 3.92/5
  • 2010With an average score of 3.92/5
  • 2017With an average score of 3.91/5
  • 2015With an average score of 3.90/5

The most used grape varieties in red wine of Japan

  • Merlot
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Pinot Noir
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Zweigelt
  • Petit Verdot

The best wineries and winemakers for red wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best red wine of Japan.

Discovering the wine region of Japan

Japan is famous for its sake, a rice wine, but Grape wine has been made in Japan for hundreds of years or more. Beer and whisky have also gained a place in the consciousness of modern Japanese, and have even become important contributors to the national economy. Winemaking has a Long history in Japan, and there are several stories surrounding its origins. The most common is that in 718 AD, a Buddhist monk named Gyoki planted the first vineyards at Daizenji Temple, near Katsunuma (southwest of Tokyo).

Traditionally, the vast majority of grapes in Japan were grown only for eating, and little or no wine was produced. European wine was imported for the Japanese elite for much of the 16th century, but was banned for much of the 17th and 18th centuries under the Sakoku policy of Imperial isolationism. But things have changed rapidly in recent decades. In the 1970s, Japanese interest in the West (and tourism) increased sharply.

Naturally, many Western fashions and traditions made their way into Japan, especially in the areas of food and drink. Wine consumption exploded and, although the focus was on imported wines, domestic wine production naturally increased accordingly. Today, Japanese viticulture has yet to take hold in the world, as the majority of the country's grapes are grown for the table rather than for the bottle. There are only a handful of grape varieties used for Japanese wine making, the most notable of which are the "native" Koshu, the European Muscat of Alexandria and the Japanese Hybrid Muscat Bailey A.

Great white wines of Japan

See the top 100 best white wines of Japan

Want to buy a white wine of Japan cheap or sell a white wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a white wine of Japan

White wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of endives au gratin without béchamel sauce, english tuna croque-monsieur or nanie's diced ham quiche.

Organoleptic analysis of white wine of Japan

On the nose the white wine of the region of Japan. often reveals types of flavors of grapefruit, citrus or apples and sometimes also flavors of peach, lime or minerality. In the mouth the white wine of the region of Japan. is a .

The best vintages in white wine of Japan

  • 1998With an average score of 4.40/5
  • 2007With an average score of 4.00/5
  • 2020With an average score of 3.92/5
  • 2014With an average score of 3.82/5
  • 2015With an average score of 3.77/5
  • 2009With an average score of 3.76/5

The most used grape varieties in white wine of Japan

  • Chardonnay
  • Koshu
  • Kerner
  • Niagara
  • Bacchus
  • Chenin Blanc

The best wineries and winemakers for white wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best white wine of Japan.

Discover the grape variety: Chenin blanc

Chameleon whites with taut acidity, ranging from mineral dry (Savennières, Vouvray sec) to off-dry and medium-sweet (Vouvray, Montlouis), sumptuous botrytised sweet (Quarts-de-Chaume, Bonnezeaux, Coteaux du Layon) and brilliant sparkling (Crémant de Loire, Vouvray brut). Aromas of quince, apple, honey, white flowers, beeswax and flint. An Anjou variety, also star of South Africa's Western Cape.

Great sparkling wines of Japan

See the top 100 best sparkling wines of Japan

Want to buy a sparkling wine of Japan cheap or sell a sparkling wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a sparkling wine of Japan

Sparkling wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of andouillette with mustard sauce, salmon burger or quiche without eggs.

Organoleptic analysis of sparkling wine of Japan

On the nose the sparkling wine of the region of Japan. often reveals types of flavors of microbio, tree fruit or citrus fruit and sometimes also flavors of earth, vegetal or non oak.

The best vintages in sparkling wine of Japan

  • 2011With an average score of 3.94/5
  • 2012With an average score of 3.84/5
  • 2013With an average score of 3.84/5
  • 2020With an average score of 3.71/5
  • 2014With an average score of 3.63/5
  • 2006With an average score of 3.60/5

The most used grape varieties in sparkling wine of Japan

  • Koshu
  • Delaware
  • Chardonnay
  • Muscat Blanc
  • Kerner
  • Niagara

The best wineries and winemakers for sparkling wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sparkling wine of Japan.

The word of the wine: Casting

Preparatory phase of the wine-making process consisting in bursting the grapes in order to release the juice.

Great pink wines of Japan

See the top 100 best pink wines of Japan

Want to buy a pink wine of Japan cheap or sell a pink wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a pink wine of Japan

Pink wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of spaghetti bolognese, lamb chops marinated with herbs or rabbit in foil.

Organoleptic analysis of pink wine of Japan

On the nose the pink wine of the region of Japan. often reveals types of flavors of earth, tree fruit or red fruit and sometimes also flavors of floral, citrus fruit.

The best vintages in pink wine of Japan

  • 2015With an average score of 3.69/5
  • 2019With an average score of 3.53/5
  • 2016With an average score of 3.51/5
  • 0With an average score of 3.49/5
  • 2018With an average score of 3.47/5
  • 2017With an average score of 3.41/5

The most used grape varieties in pink wine of Japan

  • Muscat Bailey A
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Merlot
  • Delaware
  • Alicante Bouschet
  • Cabernet Franc

The best wineries and winemakers for pink wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best pink wine of Japan.

Discover the grape variety: Koshu

Delicate, taut whites with a pale, slightly pinkish robe (grey-pink skin), an airy palate and fresh acidity, with subtle aromas of citrus (yuzu, grapefruit), green apple, white flowers, pear, almond and saline mineral notes. Slightly bitter, refined finish. Signature of the modern whites of Yamanashi (around Mount Fuji) and the locomotive of Japanese wine exports. Autochthonous hybrid variety (vinifera × vitis amurensis), cultivated in Japan for over a thousand years.

Great sweet wines of Japan

See the top 100 best sweet wines of Japan

Want to buy a sweet wine of Japan cheap or sell a sweet wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a sweet wine of Japan

Sweet wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of tartiflette, tuna provencal style or zucchini and goat cheese quiche.

Organoleptic analysis of sweet wine of Japan

On the nose the sweet wine of the region of Japan. often reveals types of flavors of earth, oak or tree fruit and sometimes also flavors of dried fruit, non oak or microbio.

The best vintages in sweet wine of Japan

  • 2020With an average score of 4.30/5
  • 2013With an average score of 3.80/5
  • 2016With an average score of 3.65/5
  • 2014With an average score of 3.59/5
  • 2019With an average score of 3.55/5
  • 2012With an average score of 3.50/5

The most used grape varieties in sweet wine of Japan

  • Merlot
  • Chardonnay
  • Riesling
  • Niagara
  • Concord
  • Cabernet Sauvignon

The best wineries and winemakers for sweet wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sweet wine of Japan.

The word of the wine: Cryptogamic

Refers to diseases transmitted to plants by a fungus.

Great other wines of Japan

See the top 100 best other wines of Japan

Want to buy a other wine of Japan cheap or sell a other wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a other wine of Japan

Other wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of shellfish, vegetarian or poultry such as recipes of shrimp with garlic and orange, tuna, pepper and tomato quiche or basque chicken.

The best vintages in other wine of Japan

  • 2020With an average score of 3.40/5
  • 2017With an average score of 3.32/5
  • 2015With an average score of 3.30/5
  • 0With an average score of 3.19/5
  • 2019With an average score of 3.15/5
  • 2018With an average score of 2.84/5

The most used grape varieties in other wine of Japan

  • Yama Sauvignon
  • Muscat Bailey A
  • Chardonnay
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Merlot

The best wineries and winemakers for other wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best other wine of Japan.

The word of the wine: Vaccaresis

Black grape variety, one of the 13 of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which can be used in a blend in this appellation and other neighbouring AOCs (Côtes-du-Rhône, Gigondas...). It produces a floral, elegant and fresh wine, which balances the warmth of the Grenache. It is rare.

Discover other regions and appellation of Japan