La Grande Colline Japon
ラ・グランド・コリーヌ・ジャポン
Rhône-trained pioneer of zero-sulfite natural wine, now in Okayama
About La Grande Colline Japon
- Founded
- 2017
- 9 years ago
- Location
- 岡山市
- 岡山県
La Grande Colline Japon is the Japanese natural-wine project of Hirotake Ooka, a Tokyo-born winemaker who studied oenology in Bordeaux, then spent two decades in France's Rhône Valley as vineyard manager for E. Guigal in Hermitage and for cult Cornas grower Thierry Allemand. In 2002 he founded his own Domaine de la Grande Colline in the Ardèche, one of the first Japanese-owned wineries in France. He returned to Japan in 2016 and, in 2017, opened this independent sister project in Tomiyoshi, Kita-ku, Okayama City, once the country's leading Muscat of Alexandria table-grape area. Working aging, organically farmed Alexandria vines alongside Cabernet Sauvignon from Kobe and the indigenous Yamabudo-hybrid grape Koshoshi from Yamanashi, Ooka applies the same radical methods he honed in France: no pesticides or herbicides, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeast, no fining or filtration, and almost always zero added sulfites. His 2021 book on natural winemaking won the New World Wine category at the 2023 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, and his tiny-production cuvées circulate internationally through natural-wine importers and fairs such as RAW WINE.
Who Is This For?
For serious natural-wine collectors seeking pedigree, additive-free wines from an artisan who mastered his craft in Cornas and Hermitage before applying it to rare Japanese terroir.
Wines of La Grande Colline Japon
No cuvées registered yet.
Location & Nearby
- Address
- 岡山県岡山市北区富吉1819View map ↗
- Founded
- 2017
Source: nihonwine.jp (checked Sep 2026) / nobori-sake.com (checked Sep 2026)
The pin with the gold outline marks La Grande Colline Japon.
Nearby wineries
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is La Grande Colline Japon related to any Yamagata natural wine producer?
- No. Despite the similar-sounding name, La Grande Colline Japon has no connection to any Yamagata producer or to Domaine des Miroirs. It is the independent Japanese project of winemaker Hirotake Ooka, who founded the original Domaine de la Grande Colline in France's Rhône Valley (Cornas/Ardèche) in 2002 and opened this separate, sister winery in Okayama City in 2017.
- Where are the vineyards and winery located?
- The winery is based in Tomiyoshi, Kita-ku, Okayama City, near Okayama Momotaro Airport — historically Japan's foremost Muscat of Alexandria growing area — with additional organically farmed Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Kobe and Koshoshi grapes from Yamanashi.
- What is Hirotake Ooka's winemaking philosophy?
- Absolute minimal intervention: no chemical pesticides or herbicides in the vineyard, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast, no fining or filtration, and almost always zero added sulfites, letting the grapes and Okayama terroir speak for themselves.
- What wines does La Grande Colline Japon make?
- Tiny-batch cuvées such as Le Canon (a Muscat of Alexandria/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, including a pétillant naturel), Koshoshi (from the indigenous Yamabudo-hybrid grape), and Yamakami, sold mainly through mailing-list allocation and specialist natural-wine shops.
- Has Hirotake Ooka's work been recognized outside Japan?
- Yes. His 2021 book on natural winemaking and terroir won first place in the New World Wine category at the 2023 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, and his wines are poured at international natural-wine fairs such as RAW WINE.