Inishie no Sato Winery

Inishie no Sato Budoshu was founded in 2017 by Masahiro Inagaki, a former Tokyo chef who returned to his hometown of Shiojiri and trained for four years at the Shiojiri Wine University before becoming the first winery to use the city's wine special zone system. The vineyard sits in the Kitaono district at roughly 850 meters — the highest-elevation and newest grape-growing area within the Kikyogahara wine district — where a wide diurnal temperature swing preserves bright acidity and builds elegant, well-structured wines. Inagaki grows around seven to eight varieties, led by Pinot Noir, Merlot and Chardonnay alongside Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Kerner, Niagara and Muscat Bailey A, and states his goal plainly: to make wine good enough that a drinker would pick it over an imported bottle at the same price. His Muscat Bailey A cuvee 'Fluffy' 2023 won a gold medal at the Japan Wine Competition in 2024. The wines are sold direct, through partner shops, and at Inagaki's own restaurant, Brasserie no de Vin, near Shiojiri Station, where he pairs his cooking background directly with his own bottles.