Cfa Backyard Winery
Cfaバックヤードワイナリー
Garage winery reinventing Japan's native grape varieties
Cfa Backyard Winery is a boutique garage winery in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, founded in 2012 inside the factory of Marukyo, a family beverage company with a decades-long history of producing ramune soda and fruit syrups. The winery is run by a father-and-daughter winemaking team and focuses exclusively on Japan's own grape varieties: Koshu, grown in the winery's own vineyard, and Muscat Bailey A, sourced from contracted growers across Tochigi. Its name reflects a dual identity — "Cfa" refers to the Koppen climate classification for Japan's warm, humid temperate climate, while "Backyard" nods to the American backyard-winery tradition of making wine alongside another trade. Guided by the mission "from domestic to Japanized," the winery experiments freely with skin contact, blending, and unconventional techniques to craft wines suited to Japan's climate and table, releasing them under the Opening Act label. Their Opening Act Koshu 2022 won a gold medal at the Sakura Award, an international wine competition judged entirely by women in the wine trade.
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Who Is This For?
For explorers of Japan's indigenous grape varieties who want expressive, small-batch wines with a distinct point of view.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is Cfa Backyard Winery located?
- In Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, inside the factory of Marukyo, a long-established beverage maker.
- Who makes the wine?
- A father-and-daughter winemaking team who also run Marukyo's ramune and syrup business.
- What grape varieties does Cfa Backyard Winery use?
- Only two Japanese varieties — Koshu, grown in the winery's own vineyard, and Muscat Bailey A, sourced from contracted growers in Tochigi.
- What does the name "Cfa Backyard Winery" mean?
- "Cfa" is the Koppen climate code for Japan's warm, humid temperate climate, and "Backyard" refers to making wine as a side venture, in the tradition of American backyard wineries.
- Has Cfa Backyard Winery won any awards?
- Yes — their Opening Act Koshu 2022 won a gold medal at the Sakura Award, an international competition judged only by women in the wine industry.