Kanuma Satoyama Winery
かぬま里山わいん
Estate-grown Chardonnay & Merlot at the foot of Nikko
Kanuma Satoyama Winery (かぬま里山わいん) is a boutique Japanese wine producer based in Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture, at the foot of the Nikko mountain range. Operated by Ugajin Ryokuhan Co., Ltd., a company whose core business is landscaping and horticulture, the winery began as a personal project of its chairman, who started planting wine grapes in 2003 out of a childhood connection to his family's fruit farm. The first vintage, released in 2006 under the name 'Ryokuhan Wine,' was made under contract brewing before the winery brought production fully in-house in 2018. True to its 'good wine starts with good grapes' philosophy, Kanuma Satoyama Winery uses exclusively estate-grown Chardonnay and Merlot from its own vineyards, fermenting without heat sterilization to preserve fresh, fruit-driven character. Its Chardonnay, 'Satoyama no Kagayaki,' won the Grand Prix at the 58th Japan Food Selection in December 2022 — the first Grand Prix ever awarded to a Tochigi producer.
www.bc9.jp/~ryokuhan/satoyamawine.html ↗Cuvées
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Who Is This For?
For those who want to discover a small, family-run Japanese winery whose award-winning Chardonnay proves that single-vineyard, estate-only winemaking can rival established regions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Kanuma Satoyama Winery use purchased grapes?
- No — every wine is made exclusively from grapes grown in the winery's own vineyards at the foot of the Nikko mountain range.
- What grape varieties does Kanuma Satoyama Winery grow?
- The winery focuses on two varieties, Chardonnay and Merlot, both estate-grown.
- Has Kanuma Satoyama Winery won any awards?
- Yes. Its Chardonnay 'Satoyama no Kagayaki' won the Grand Prix at the 58th Japan Food Selection in December 2022, the first Grand Prix ever given to a Tochigi Prefecture producer.
- Since when has Kanuma Satoyama Winery been making wine?
- Grape cultivation began in 2003, the first vintage was released in 2006, and the winery moved to fully in-house brewing in 2018.
- Who operates Kanuma Satoyama Winery?
- The winery is run by Ugajin Ryokuhan Co., Ltd., a Tochigi company whose core business is landscaping and horticulture.