Yellow Magic Winery
イエローマジックワイナリー
Japan's 'Yellow Magic' — honest, additive-free natural wines born from Yamagata's Delaware heartland
Yellow Magic Winery was founded on September 27, 2019, by Sumito Iwatani in Akayu, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture — the heartland of Delaware grape cultivation in Japan. After honing his craft at Hitomi Winery in Shiga and Shimanouchi Fujimaru Brewery in Osaka, Iwatani chose this region for its deep viticultural heritage and outstanding Delaware terroir. The winery name 'Yellow Magic' (黄色魔術醸造所) reflects a vision of creating wines that resonate with Asian and Japanese sensibilities — wines born of this land that make you glad to call it home. Operating under the philosophy of 'neither add nor subtract,' Yellow Magic produces unfiltered, cloudy (nigori) natural wines using wild yeasts with no sulfite additions, aiming for honest wines that are gentle on the body and tell no lies.
www.yellowmagicwinery.com ↗Cuvées
オーディナリー・ルージュ
Ordinary Rouge
RedMuscat Bailey A · Merlot · Steuben
Ordinary Rouge by Yellow Magic Winery is a natural red wine from Yamagata, Japan. Blending Muscat Bailey A, Merlot, and Steuben, it represents the concept of 'everyday life.' It undergoes a 60-day cold maceration for rich umami and soft tannins. Unsulfured and bottle-fermented, it has a light spritz.
オーディナリー オレンジ
Ordinary Orange
orangeDelaware · Rosario Bianco · Niagara · Shine Muscat
Ordinary Orange by Yellow Magic Winery is a natural orange wine from Yamagata, Japan. Crafted from Delaware, Rosario Bianco, Niagara, and Shine Muscat, it is made with zero additives. Rosario Bianco, Niagara, and Shine Muscat undergo low-temperature skin-contact fermentation (醸し) for approximately 90 days, while Delaware — grown pesticide-free at the winery's own vineyard — is vinified as white wine to preserve its bright, crisp fruitiness. The result is an elegant orange wine defined by aromatic muscat and white peach notes from Rosario Bianco and Shine Muscat, lively acidity from Niagara and Delaware, and a light, refreshing body.
オルタナティブ・ルージュ
Alternative Rouge
RedHokujo
Alternative Rouge is a distinctive red wine from Yellow Magic Winery in Nanyo, Yamagata Prefecture, crafted from 100% Hokujo (北醇) — a Japanese hybrid of Amurensis and Muscat Hamburg. Named for 'unchanging things and the inevitability that leaves no other choice,' the wine is fermented on skins for 60 days with gentle battonage every two days to encourage natural malolactic fermentation. The result is a vibrant, deep-purple wine with only 9% alcohol, where wild-berry intensity meets lively acidity and a silky, barely-there tannic grip. No sulfites are added. The wine is enjoyable young and has clear potential for aging.
月夜ノポストマン
Tsukiyo no Postman
SparklingroseFujiminori · Takasumi · Steuben · Summer Black
Tsukiyo no Postman is a unique sparkling rosé by Yellow Magic Winery in Yamagata, Japan. Crafted from Fujiminori, Takasumi, Steuben, and Summer Black grapes, it undergoes a 60-day semi-maceration. This dry sparkling wine offers a sweet strawberry aroma balanced by delicate tannins. Naturally fermented with wild yeasts and bottled without added sulfites, it delivers a pure, vibrant expression of Japanese terroir.
ポンプアップ
Pump Up
SparklingRedMuscat Bailey A · Campbell Early
Pump Up by Yellow Magic Winery is an energetic natural sparkling red wine from Yamagata, Japan. Made from Muscat Bailey A and Campbell Early, it undergoes 80 days of cold maceration with minimal stirring, extracting deep fruitiness and aromas of ripe berries and roasted coffee. Bottled with active wild yeasts in pét-nat style, it offers a lively fizz on opening. Even after the bubbles fade, the wine retains a rich, savory depth — offering two distinct stages of pleasure in a single bottle.
アシッド・テクノ
Acid Techno
orangeDelaware
Acid Techno by Yellow Magic Winery is an innovative Japanese orange wine made from 100% Delaware grapes grown without any pesticides at the Kanayama vineyard in Nanyo City, Yamagata. Named after 'Acid Techno' music and 'Ashi' (foot-treading), the grapes are vinified whole-cluster using foot-treading and undergo 40 to 120 days of semi-carbonic maceration depending on the vintage. It features vibrant aromas of fresh plums and Japanese apricot, electric acidity, gentle skin-contact tannins, and a savory umami finish. Bottled unfiltered and with zero added sulfites.
ヒップホップ ミックス
HipHop Mix
RoséSparklingDelaware · Steuben · Shine Muscat
Yellow Magic Winery's HipHop Mix is a vibrant, naturally sparkling pétillant naturel rosé from Nanyo City, Yamagata, Japan. Crafted from Delaware, Steuben, and Shine Muscat grapes grown without pesticides on the estate vineyard, it undergoes foot-crushing and semi-carbonic maceration (Semi-MC) for 50–100 days. A portion of early-harvested Delaware orange wine is blended before bottle secondary fermentation, resulting in a wild, juicy pet-nat with explosive aromas, lively bubbles, and a seductive, fruit-driven palate. Produced with zero added sulfites and unfiltered.
GMワイン
GM Wine
SparklingDelaware · Fuji Apple · La France Pear
GM Wine — short for "Golden Mountain" (ゴールデンマウンテン) — is a semi-sparkling natural wine by Yellow Magic Winery crafted from three fruits native to the Golden Mountain area in northern Nanyo City, Yamagata: Fuji apples, La France pears, and Delaware grapes. Born as part of a regional revitalization project to spotlight this agricultural zone where orchards and vineyards coexist, each fruit is slow-fermented at low temperature to preserve its individual character. La France contributes elegant floral aromas on the nose, Fuji apple delivers juicy depth in the mid-palate, and Delaware brings a clean, refreshing acidity to the finish. At around 8–9% abv, unfiltered and additive-free, this wine sits beautifully between cider and wine — one of Japan's most enchanting co-fermentations.
ミュジーク・ノン・ストップ・テフノ・ポップ
Musique non stop TEF no POP
RedSparklingSteuben · Delaware
Musique non stop TEF no POP is a vibrant, pet-nat style sparkling red wine produced by Yellow Magic Winery in Yamagata, Japan. Crafted primarily from Steuben and Delaware grapes, this cuvée embodies the winery's experimental and playful spirit. It features a lively effervescence, bright acidity, and a distinctively fruity profile reminiscent of fresh berries and grape juice, balanced by a dry, refreshing finish. The wine is unfiltered, preserving its raw, authentic character and natural sediment, making it a unique expression of Japanese terroir that defies traditional winemaking conventions.
ス・メルロー
Su Merlot
RedMerlot
Su Merlot is a red wine crafted by Yellow Magic Winery from 100% Merlot grapes sourced from the Okitama district of Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Made in the natural winemaking tradition — no sulfite additions, no filtration, no fining — the wine is fermented with native yeasts using a low-temperature carbonic maceration technique over approximately 60 days. Limited to around 700 bottles per vintage, it delivers a juicy, fruit-forward character that diverges sharply from the heavy, oaked style of international Merlot. Bright cranberry and strawberry aromas are complemented by a subtle herbal, pyrazine note, balanced by fresh acidity and soft tannins. The wine qualifies under the GI Yamagata designation.
Who Is This For?
For those who want wines that are honest about their origins — free of additives, unfiltered, and deeply connected to the Japanese palate and terroir.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Yellow Magic Winery's winemaking philosophy?
- The winery follows a philosophy of 'neither add nor subtract' — no sulfites, no fining, no filtration. Winemaker Sumito Iwatani uses only wild yeasts from the grapes themselves, producing unfiltered nigori (cloudy) wines that honestly express the character of Yamagata's terroir.
- Why is Yellow Magic Winery based in Nanyo City, Yamagata?
- Nanyo City — and specifically Akayu — is revered as the sacred land of Delaware grape cultivation in Japan. After years of experience at other wineries, founder Sumito Iwatani chose this region for its deep viticultural heritage and unparalleled Delaware terroir, the perfect place to realize his vision of honest, Japan-rooted natural wines.
- What makes Yellow Magic Winery's wines stand out among Japanese natural wines?
- Yellow Magic Winery excels at coaxing unexpected complexity from Japanese table grapes like Delaware and Niagara — varieties many winemakers overlook. Their trademark nigori (unfiltered cloudy) style and collaborations like the TEF project, which rescues abandoned vineyards, give their wines an irreplaceable sense of place and social purpose.