Saito Grape Garden
齊藤ぶどう園
Chiba's 1930 winery pressing Delaware and Yamabudo by hand
Founded in 1930 when first-generation owner Yasuji Saito cleared a pine grove in Yokoshibahikari, Chiba, to plant grape vines, Saito Grape Garden is one of Japan's oldest continuously family-run wineries. The first harvest came in 1935, and a wine-brewing license followed in 1938. During the Second World War the winery was designated a military supply facility, with its wine used as provisions and its tartaric acid byproduct repurposed for wireless equipment. Today fourth-generation vigneronne Masako Saito tends roughly one hectare of vines without herbicides, letting free-ranging chickens and geese keep the undergrowth in check. Using only estate-grown fruit — no imported grapes or concentrate — the wines are pressed on a prewar wooden press and bottled in tiny volumes of about 4,000 bottles a year, sold directly from the winery for just a few days each November.
www.saito-winery.com/ ↗Cuvées
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Who Is This For?
For drinkers curious about Japan's rarest family wineries — gentle, low-intervention reds and delicate orange-hued Delaware wines best enjoyed young.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What grape varieties does Saito Grape Garden use?
- The winery grows Delaware and native Yamabudo (wild grape) on its own roughly one-hectare vineyard in Yokoshibahikari, Chiba, and blends both into an oak-aged cuvée called Taru.
- How old is the winery?
- It was founded in 1930 when first-generation owner Yasuji Saito planted vines on cleared pine forest; the first harvest followed in 1935 and the wine license in 1938, making it one of Japan's oldest continuously family-run wineries.
- How are the wines made?
- Only estate-grown grapes are used — no imported fruit or concentrate — pressed on a prewar wooden press, with organic, herbicide-free farming that relies on free-ranging chickens and geese to control weeds.
- Where can I buy Saito Grape Garden wine?
- Production is tiny, about 4,000 bottles a year, and the winery sells directly from the property for only a few days each November, though bottles occasionally appear at specialist Japanese wine retailers like Imadeya.