10R Winery
10Rワイナリー
The Hokkaido winery that made Noma's sommelier call a Japanese Pinot Noir 'the best red wine in the world'
10R Winery (pronounced 'Toar,' meaning 'a certain' or 'some' in Japanese) is Hokkaido's only custom crush winery and winemaker incubator, founded in 2012 by American-born winemaker Bruce Gutlove and his wife Ryoko in Kurisawa-cho, Iwamizawa City. Gutlove holds a BS from Cornell and an MS in Enology from UC Davis; after two decades as head winemaker at Coco Farm & Winery in Tochigi, he moved to Hokkaido to pursue a new vision of what Japanese Pinot Noir could become. The winery operates three wine lines: the Kamihoro Estate series (from 10R's own ~1 ha Kurisawa vineyard), KWtN — 'Kamihoro Wine to Nakama-tachi' (wines made from contracted partner growers' vineyards across Hokkaido), and the Coco & 10R / こことある collaboration series released under Coco Farm & Winery's label.
www.10rwinery.jp/ ↗Cuvées
上幌ワイン 森
Kamihoro Wine Mori
WhiteSauvignon Blanc · Auxerrois · Aligoté · Pinot Gris · Savagnin · Siegerrebe
Kamihoro Wine "Mori" is a complex field blend white wine from 10R Winery's estate vineyard in Kamihoro, Kurisawa-cho, Iwamizawa, Hokkaido. The east-facing slope plot is sheltered on its north side by a natural forest—the source of the wine's name "Mori" (forest)—which acts as a windbreak and maintains higher temperatures in the vineyard. Sauvignon Blanc forms the backbone of the blend, co-fermented with up to seven additional white varieties including Auxerrois, Aligoté, Pinot Gris, Savagnin, and Siegerrebe. Winemaker Bruce Gutlove, a California State University-trained enologist who led Coco Farm Winery before founding 10R in 2012, harvests each variety at its ideal moment before fermenting them together. With an average CellarTracker score of 94.2, "Mori" is regarded as one of the finest white wines being produced in Japan today.
10Rワイナリー ピノ・ノワール
10R Winery Pinot Noir
RedPinot Noir
10R Winery's expression of Pinot Noir from the cool volcanic soils of Hokkaido, showing elegant red fruit and earthy minerality with Burgundian aspirations.
KWtN 藤澤農園 余市ケルナー 待てば甘露
KWtN Fujisawa Farm Yoichi Kerner Mateba Kanro
WhiteSweetKerner
A multi-vintage late-harvest Kerner from Fujisawa Farm in Yoichi, made by 10R Winery under the KWtN ('Kamihoro Wine to Nakama-tachi') label. Blending the 2016 and 2017 late-harvest harvests, this wine is concentrated, smooth, and gently sweet — the name 'Mateba Kanro' (待てば甘露) meaning 'wait and sweetness will come.' Expect ripe apricot, candied citrus peel, honey, and malt on a silky palate with Kerner's characteristic refreshing acidity cutting through the richness.
KWtN 木村農園 余市 ピノ・ノワール
KWtN Kimura Farm Yoichi Pinot Noir
RedPinot Noir
KWtN Kimura Farm Yoichi Pinot Noir is made by Bruce Gutlove at 10R Winery in Iwamizawa from 100% Pinot Noir grown at Kimura Farm in Nobori District, Yoichi, Hokkaido. Kimura Farm planted Pinot Noir in 1985 — among the oldest Pinot Noir vines in Japan at over 40 years — on sandy-clay loam soils that differ from the volcanic black soils typical of Yoichi, imparting a distinctive saline minerality. The wine is made with minimal intervention: ~95% destemmed with ~5% whole cluster, wild-yeast fermentation, aged 14–16 months in used French oak barrels, unfined and unfiltered. The result is a Burgundian-inspired red with silky tannins, razor-sharp acidity, and an umami-driven minerality that has attracted international attention — three 10R wines appeared on Noma's Kyoto pop-up wine list.
KWtN 高橋農園 砂川ソーヴィニヨン・ブラン
KWtN Takahashi Farm Sunagawa Sauvignon Blanc
WhiteSauvignon Blanc
Produced at 10R Winery under the KWtN ('Kamihoro Wine to Nakama-tachi') series, this Sauvignon Blanc draws 100% from Takahashi Farm in Higashitoyonuma, Sunagawa City, Hokkaido. Each vintage reveals a different facet of Hokkaido's cool continental climate: the 2022 leads with assertive passion fruit and a crisp, tangy finish; the 2021 opens with orange, ripe pear, and tropical pineapple; while the 2020 showcases fragrant grapefruit, lemongrass, and lavender over a silky, clean acid backbone. Minimal-intervention vinification at 10R preserves the grape's natural purity and the farm's distinctive terroir.
KWtN タイヤマンシリーズ ノコフクシロ MV
KWtN Nokofuku Shiro Taiyaman Series MV
WhitePinot Gris · Chardonnay
KWtN Nokofuku Shiro is a white wine from the "Taiyaman Series" of KWtN (Kamihoro Wine to Nakamatachi), a label by Bruce and Ryoko Gutlove of 10R Winery in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido. Made from Pinot Gris and Chardonnay sourced primarily from contract growers in Yoichi, it blends lots not used in single-varietal wines to create an easy-drinking, pleasurable wine. The wine delivers rich aromas of honey, flowers, and pear, with a delicate touch of residual sugar sweetness on the finish complemented by lively volatile acidity. Multi-vintage (MV) blending is a hallmark of the Taiyaman Series philosophy.
KWtN ノコフクロゼ タイヤマン
KWtN Nokofuku Roze Taiyaman
RoséPinot Noir · Zweigelt
KWtN Nokofuku Roze Taiyaman is a playful and expressive rosé crafted by Bruce and Ryoko Gutlove at 10R Winery in Hokkaido. Part of the 'Taiyaman' series — wines made together as a couple's passion project — this is described as a 'surprise' wine, one they had never made before and likely never will again. Pinot Noir dominant, blended with a touch of Zweigelt vinified as blanc de noirs. It delivers a delicate hue, a fruity strawberry aroma with notes of balsamic vinegar, black tea, and forest undergrowth, finishing with an energetic, dry crispness. A testament to the winemakers' dedication to minimal intervention and their ability to create wines that are both serious in quality and lighthearted in character.
こことある ぴのろぜ
Kokonoaru Pinot Roze
RoséPinot Noir · Chardonnay
Kokonoaru Pinot Roze is an extraordinary dry rosé from the collaboration between 10R Winery (Iwamizawa, Hokkaido) and Coco Farm & Winery (Tochigi). Crafted by American winemaker Bruce Gutlove from Kimura Farm's exceptional Pinot Noir in Yoichi — arguably Japan's finest site for the variety — this wine challenges the very definition of rosé. Whole bunches undergo carbonic maceration at Hokkaido's naturally cold temperatures, extracting remarkable complexity, followed by wild yeast fermentation in old oak barrels and stainless steel tanks with extended lees aging. The result is salmon-pink in hue, with aromas of orange, plum, raspberry, and ginger, finishing with a mineral dashi-like depth. Dry and structured like a light red, yet moving with the elegance of white wine.
上幌ワイン 風
Kamihoro Wine Kaze
RedPinot Noir · Gamay · Poulsard · Pinot Meunier
Kamihoro Wine "Kaze" (Wind) is the flagship red wine of 10R Winery, crafted entirely from grapes grown in their own south-facing estate vineyard in Kamihoro, Kurisawa-cho, Iwamizawa, Hokkaido. The wine is a field blend of Pinot Noir (dominant), Gamay, Poulsard, and Pinot Meunier — all varieties co-planted and co-fermented together, a technique inspired by traditional Burgundian practices. Winemakers Bruce and Ryoko Gutlove follow low-intervention, natural farming principles (lutte raisonnée: no chemical fertilizers or herbicides), releasing Kaze each year alongside its sister white wine "Mori" (Forest). The 2017 vintage was famously called "the best red wine in the world" by Noma's head sommelier, who featured 10R wines at the restaurant's Kyoto pop-up. The 2022 vintage carries 11% ABV at 750ml.
KWtN 藤澤農園 余市ケルナー よい花のその後
KWtN Fujisawa Farm Yoichi Kerner Yoihana no Sonogo
Whiteoff-dryKerner
A semi-sweet white wine produced by 10R Winery under the KWtN label, crafted from Kerner grapes grown at Fujisawa Farm in Yoichi, Hokkaido. 'Yoihana no Sonogo' (よい花のその後 — 'what follows a good flower') is the filtered expression of this Yoichi Kerner — the more approachable, gently sweet sibling to the dry, unfiltered 'Yoihana wa Atokara.' Wild-yeast fermented and filtered for clarity, it offers aromas of white floral honey, baked apple, pine resin, and subtle herbs. On the palate it is off-dry with a silky, generous texture, lifted acidity, and a gently sweet finish — making it ideal as a dessert wine served chilled or as an aperitif.
KWtN 藤澤農園 余市ケルナー よい花は後から
KWtN Fujisawa Farm Yoichi Kerner Yoihana wa Atokara
WhiteKerner
A bone-dry, unfiltered white wine produced by 10R Winery under the KWtN label from Kerner grapes grown at Fujisawa Farm in Yoichi, Hokkaido. 'Yoihana wa Atokara' (よい花は後から — 'the good flower comes later') is the unfiltered counterpart to the off-dry, filtered 'Yoihana no Sonogo,' released simultaneously from the same 2019 vintage lot. Wild-yeast fermented and bottled without filtration, it delivers a more structured, textured palate — herb notes, concentrated honey, cinnamon spice, ginger, and citrus chutney, with a very long finish, mild acidity, gentle tannin grip, and a fully dry, mineral close. At 13% ABV, it represents the more serious, food-centric face of Fujisawa Farm's Kerner.
Who Is This For?
For the Pinot Noir obsessive ready to discover that Hokkaido's cool maritime climate and volcanic soils can rival Burgundy — and in some vintages, surpass it
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does '10R' mean?
- '10R' is pronounced 'Toar' in Japanese, a wordplay on 'とある' (toaru = 'a certain'), reflecting the winery's humble, unpretentious philosophy that it is simply 'a certain winery' where various people make wine together. The name also captures the collaborative spirit of the KWtN program.
- What is the KWtN program?
- KWtN stands for 'Kamihoro Wine to Nakama-tachi' (上幌ワインと仲間たち — 'Kamihoro Wine and Friends'). It is 10R's contract winemaking program, where Bruce Gutlove vinifies grapes from outstanding Hokkaido partner growers — including Kimura Farm in Yoichi, Takahashi Farm in Sunagawa, and others — each bottled under the KWtN label with the grower's name.
- Why is 10R Winery significant for Japanese wine?
- 10R is Hokkaido's only custom crush winery, enabling small-scale growers to produce wine without building their own facility — a model that has seeded Hokkaido's natural wine scene. The estate Kamihoro 'Kaze' Pinot Noir was called 'best red wine in the world' by Noma's head sommelier, and three 10R wines were featured on Noma's Kyoto pop-up wine list.