About Domaine Shizen
- Style
- White
- Grape Varieties
- Koshu
- Price Range
- ¥4,000-4,700
Domaine Shizen is Fujisan Winery's flagship 100% Koshu white wine, grown in the volcanic, high-altitude vineyards of the Mt. Fuji foothills around Asagiri Kogen in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, and Makioka in neighboring Yamanashi. The cuvée traces back to a 2003 project in which winery founder Ernest Singer worked with the late Bordeaux oenologist Professor Denis Dubourdieu to craft a world-class dry Koshu; it was originally released as "VSP Cuvée Denis Dubourdieu" and renamed "Domaine Shizen" from the 2010 vintage onward. Grapes are trained on vertical shoot positioning (VSP) trellises rather than Japan's traditional pergola system, pressed at a low yield, and vinified with minimal intervention and largely without malolactic fermentation to preserve Koshu's natural acidity and purity, with a period of sur lie aging adding texture. The result is a bright, mineral, food-driven white designed to complement the delicate flavors of Japanese cuisine.
The wine that proved Koshu could stand on the world stage — precise, restrained, and unmistakably built for Japanese cuisine rather than against it.
New to wine?
A clean, approachable introduction to world-class Japanese Koshu — dry, food-friendly, and never heavy.
Food Pairings
Excellent with white fish sashimi and fresh seafood, tempura, seasonal vegetables, soba, and grilled fish — the wine's bright acidity and restrained fruit are built specifically to complement delicate Japanese cuisine.
When to drink it
Washoku dinners, sushi and sashimi meals, and everyday pairing with Japanese home cooking.
Terroir & Winemaking
100% Koshu grown on VSP-trained vines in volcanic soil around the Mt. Fuji foothills. Pressed at a low yield (roughly 55-60%), fermented dry with minimal oxidative handling, generally without malolactic fermentation, and aged sur lie for added texture. Recent vintages (e.g. 2025) have shown riper, more pronounced fruit aromatics due to warmer growing seasons while retaining the cuvée's signature acidity.
About the producer
Fujisan WineryPioneering EU-exported Koshu from the foot of Mt. Fuji富士宮市, 静岡県 · Founded 2007Visit the producer page →More wines from Fujisan Winery
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does Domaine Shizen taste like?
- Pale lemon-yellow in color, with aromas of lime and white peach and a hint of passion fruit. On the palate it's dry with vibrant acidity, pure fruit character, and a sur-lie-derived roundness, finishing crisp and refreshing.
- What food does Domaine Shizen pair with?
- It's made specifically to complement Japanese cuisine — white fish sashimi, fresh seafood, tempura, soba, and grilled fish all work beautifully with it.
- What grape is Domaine Shizen made from?
- 100% Koshu, Japan's signature native white grape, grown on VSP-trained vines in the volcanic soils of the Mt. Fuji foothills in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka and neighboring Yamanashi.
- Is Domaine Shizen the same wine as "Cuvée Denis Dubourdieu"?
- Yes. The cuvée began as "VSP Cuvée Denis Dubourdieu," named for the late Bordeaux oenologist Denis Dubourdieu who helped develop it with founder Ernest Singer, and was renamed "Domaine Shizen" starting with the 2010 vintage.
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