About Tsuiji Labo
- Founded
- 2020
- 6 years ago
- Location
- 東御市
- 長野県
Tsuiji Labo is a boutique winery in Tomi City, Nagano, in the Chikuma River Wine Valley, founded in September 2020 by Katsumi Tsuiji and his wife, who began planting Chardonnay and Merlot on reclaimed farmland in the Tazawa district in 2016. The estate vineyard sits at roughly 860 meters above sea level. Winemaking is led by Takahiro Suga, a sommelier-turned-"flying winemaker" who has worked harvests in France, Germany, Austria, Australia and New Zealand and runs his own label, Plus Personal Wines, in Australia. Suga favors wild-yeast fermentation with minimal added sugar, acid or sulfites, and the winery doubles as a laboratory for experimental blends, including orange wines mixing red and white varieties, as well as contract winemaking (itaku jozo) for neighboring grape growers. Its flagship bottlings, Momowan (Chardonnay) and Kuru-min (Merlot), are named after the winery's two Shiba Inu mascots, Momo and Kurumi.
Who Is This For?
For adventurous drinkers curious about low-intervention, small-batch experimentation and the flying winemakers reshaping Japan's wine scene.
Wines of Tsuiji Labo
No cuvées registered yet.
Location & Nearby
- Address
- 長野県東御市和3875-1View map ↗
- Founded
- 2020
Source: nagano-wine.jp (checked Sep 2026) / prtimes.jp (checked Sep 2026)
The pin with the gold outline marks Tsuiji Labo.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Who founded Tsuiji Labo?
- Tsuiji Labo was founded by Katsumi Tsuiji and his wife, who began growing Chardonnay and Merlot on reclaimed farmland in Tomi City's Tazawa district in 2016 and opened the winery in September 2020.
- Who makes the wine at Tsuiji Labo?
- Winemaking is led by Takahiro Suga, a sommelier and "flying winemaker" who has worked harvests in France, Germany, Austria, Australia and New Zealand and also runs his own label, Plus Personal Wines, in Australia.
- What is Tsuiji Labo's winemaking philosophy?
- The winery favors wild-yeast fermentation with minimal added sugar, acid or sulfites, treating each vintage as an experiment rather than following a fixed recipe.
- What are Tsuiji Labo's flagship wines?
- Momowan, a Chardonnay, and Kuru-min, a Merlot, named after the winery's two Shiba Inu mascots, Momo and Kurumi.
- Does Tsuiji Labo make wine for other growers?
- Yes, alongside its own estate wines, Tsuiji Labo offers contract winemaking (itaku jozo) for neighboring grape growers in the Tomi area.