The Winery Kunitsu Kajitsushu of Yamanashi-ken

Discovering the wine region of Yamanashi-ken

Yamanashi is the first Japanese Geographical Indication (GI) for wine. Established in 2013, it is situated in the prefecture of the same name. Yamanashi is promoted as the birthplace of Japanese wine production. The most prominent Grape varieties grown here are the indigenous vitis vinefera white grape variety Koshu, and the Japanese-bred pale red Hybrid Muscat Bailey A.

The latter makes Soft, Fruity reds, while Koshu Dry white wines tend to be Aromatic dry, crisp and citrussy. Koshu is thought to have been cultivated in the Yamanashi Prefecture for a thousand years or more. Genetic studies of the grape tend to support this. Of the 40 other permitted varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are most prominent.

As of 2018 there are around 80 wineries. Nearly half of these are located arround Koshu City. The 670 hectares (1,655 acres) of vineyards in Yamanashi produce around 40 percent of Japan's entire grape wine output. The wine industry in its modern form dates back to the 1870s in Yamanashi.