Kamiuta Vineyard
上歌ヴィンヤード
Reviving a 'grape graveyard' into Hokkaido natural wine
Kamiuta Vineyard is a small natural wine producer in Utashinai, a former coal-mining town in central Hokkaido. The vineyard began in 2016 when Masato Endo, a member of the local community revitalization program, took on the task of clearing a long-abandoned vineyard — half-dead vines, rotting posts, and coal-flecked soil — that locals called a 'grape graveyard.' After years of restoration, the land was passed into private hands and is now run by Masato and his wife Miki. Roughly 5,500 vines across six varieties, including Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Gewürztraminer, are farmed sustainably and vinified with minimal intervention: spontaneous fermentation, traditional bottle-fermented sparkling wines, and skin-contact maceration for rosé, typically with little to no added sulfites. The winery's small-production, low-intervention wines have been featured at the RAW WINE natural wine fair.
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Who Is This For?
For wine lovers who value stories of land regeneration, minimal-intervention winemaking, and rare cool-climate varieties from a tiny Hokkaido coal town.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is Kamiuta Vineyard located?
- In Utashinai, a small former coal-mining city in central Hokkaido, Japan.
- How did Kamiuta Vineyard get started?
- It began in 2016 when Masato Endo, working under Utashinai's community revitalization program, restored a long-abandoned vineyard known locally as a 'grape graveyard.'
- What grape varieties does Kamiuta Vineyard grow?
- Around 5,500 vines across six varieties, including Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Gewürztraminer.
- What is Kamiuta Vineyard's winemaking approach?
- Minimal-intervention, natural winemaking with spontaneous fermentation, traditional bottle-fermented sparkling wines, and skin-contact maceration for rosé, often with little to no added sulfites.
- Who runs Kamiuta Vineyard today?
- The vineyard is run by Masato and Miki Endo, who took over the land after years of restoration work.