Yufuin Winery
由布院ワイナリー
Hand-crafted wines from a 6.5-hectare estate vineyard in Yufuin's basin
Yufuin Winery is a boutique Japanese winery in the hot-spring resort town of Yufuin, Oita Prefecture, founded when a local hotel owner's experimental planting of Chardonnay vines produced unexpectedly good results. What began as a small hobby project grew, with cooperation from the town of Yufuin, into a full winery with roughly 6.5 hectares of estate vineyards. Yufuin Winery grows Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc on-site and crafts wine by hand — crushing, pressing, and stirring every batch manually — aiming to make every bottle from Yufuin-grown fruit. The wide diurnal temperature swings of the Yufuin basin, together with well-drained land bordering the area's rice paddies, give the wines an aromatic, light yet structured character. The winery was recognized in the 2026 Japan Winery Award. Visitors can taste wines for free at the brick-style winery building and browse an on-site bottle shop stocked with original wines, craft beer, and local specialties.
www.yufuin-winery.jp/ ↗Cuvées
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Who Is This For?
For travelers to Yufuin who want to taste genuine estate-grown Japanese wine alongside hot-spring sightseeing, and for fans of small-production, hand-crafted wines.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Yufuin Winery grow its own grapes?
- Yes — the winery cultivates roughly 6.5 hectares of estate vineyard planted with Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc, and aims to make every wine from Yufuin-grown fruit.
- Is Yufuin Winery a real production winery or just a shop?
- It is a genuine production winery: fruit is crushed, pressed, and fermented by hand on site rather than simply resold, and the winery was recognized in the 2026 Japan Winery Award.
- Can visitors taste the wine before buying?
- Yes, free tastings are offered at the winery, along with a bottle shop selling original wines, craft beer, and local products.
- What makes Yufuin Winery's wines distinctive?
- The basin's large day-night temperature swings and well-drained land near local rice paddies give the wines pronounced aroma with a light yet structured palate.