Yawata Wine

Yawata Wine (Yawata Yoshu Co., Ltd.) is a small, family-run winery based in the Ichikawa area of Yamanashi City, in eastern Yamanashi Prefecture — a district officially recognized by the Japan Winery Association as part of the Yamanashi-East winery cluster. The winery works with grapes grown by local farmers in the surrounding hills, producing a modest lineup of wines centered on Koshu and Delaware, alongside Muscat Bailey A. Its signature bottling, locally known as "Yawata no Dera," reflects a rustic, unpretentious style typical of Yamanashi's smaller neighborhood wineries. Rather than courting a national audience, Yawata Wine sells much of its output through the JA Fruits Yamanashi Hachiman direct farm-produce stand and directly at the winery itself, which keeps irregular hours — closed twice a month and open for tastings mainly from June through October. It offers a genuine, low-key window into the everyday wine culture of Yamanashi City, distinct from the more tourist-oriented wineries of nearby Katsunuma.