Tamba Wine

Founded in 1979 by Tetsuo Kuroi in what is now Kyotamba, Kyoto Prefecture, Tamba Wine was one of Japan's pioneering wineries, built on a single guiding idea: crafting wine to match Kyoto's refined food culture rather than imitating European styles. The winery still occupies a former sake brewery, whose retained rice-koji character subtly shapes the house style. Across estate vineyards roughly 50km north of Kyoto city, Tamba experiments with over 40 grape varieties, concentrating production on Tannat, Pinot Noir and Sangiovese for reds and Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Chardonnay for whites, alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Blanc. Juice is clarified before fermentation and oak use is restrained, producing clean, food-friendly wines with bright acidity. The winery won Monde Selection gold medals for six consecutive years from 1983 and has repeatedly earned multiple stars in the Japan Winery Award, most recently four stars in 2026.