Kurokamiyama Vineyard
黒髪山葡萄園
One-man Sauvignon Blanc grower in Niimi, custom-crushed with care
About Kurokamiyama Vineyard
- Founded
- 2014
- 12 years ago
- Location
- 新見市
- 岡山県
- Wines listed
- 2
- Sparkling 1, White 1
- Main grapes
- Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay
Kurokamiyama Vineyard is a one-man grower-winery at the foot of Mt. Kurokamiyama in Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture — a separate district from the better-known Okayama Wine Valley, which sits across town in Tetta-cho. Proprietor Akiyoshi Hayakawa moved from Osaka to Niimi in 2012, trained at nearby Domaine Tetta, and in 2014 completed roughly 0.5 hectares of vineyard on a former fallow field in the Kamikumatani district. He grows Sauvignon Blanc as his core variety, alongside Muscat Bailey A (planted 2020) and Pinot Gris (planted 2022), farming a small, hands-on plot that yields only around 1,200 bottles a year. As the winery holds no crushing license of its own, the 100% estate-grown fruit is vinified under contract — historically at Hitomi Winery in Shiga Prefecture, with more recent vintages made at wineries such as Hiruzen Winery and Funao Winery in Okayama. The wines are naturally fermented and unfiltered, sold as a still white called "blaank" and a pét-nat-style sparkling wine called "sparkle," both built to let the grape's own character speak for itself.
Who Is This For?
For drinkers curious about micro-scale Japanese wine growers and aromatic, unfiltered Sauvignon Blanc styles made from tiny, single-grower harvests.
Wines of Kurokamiyama Vineyard
Location & Nearby
- Address
- 岡山県新見市上熊谷（no winery of its own; the wines are made under contract elsewhere）
- Founded
- 2014
Source: kurokamiyama.com (checked Sep 2026)
Nearby wineries
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is Kurokamiyama Vineyard located, and is it the same as Okayama Wine Valley?
- No — Kurokamiyama Vineyard is a separate producer in the Kamikumatani district near central Niimi City, Okayama, at the foot of Mt. Kurokamiyama. Okayama Wine Valley is a different, unrelated winery in Tetta-cho, also within Niimi City but several kilometers away.
- Who founded Kurokamiyama Vineyard and when?
- Owner Akiyoshi Hayakawa moved from Osaka to Niimi in 2012, trained at Domaine Tetta, and completed the vineyard on former fallow land in 2014.
- What grape varieties does Kurokamiyama Vineyard grow?
- The core variety is Sauvignon Blanc, supplemented by Muscat Bailey A (planted 2020) and Pinot Gris (planted 2022), all grown on about 0.5 hectares.
- Does Kurokamiyama Vineyard make its own wine on site?
- No. The winery has no crushing facility of its own, so its 100% estate-grown grapes are vinified under contract, historically at Hitomi Winery in Shiga and more recently at Okayama wineries such as Hiruzen Winery and Funao Winery.
- What wines does Kurokamiyama Vineyard produce?
- Two main labels: "blaank," a naturally fermented, unfiltered Sauvignon Blanc-based white, and "sparkle," a sparkling wine, both made from 100% estate fruit at roughly 1,200 bottles total per year.