Tokachi
十勝
Home of Yamasachi — the world's most cold-hardy OIV-registered wine grape, born in Hokkaido's frozen east.
About Tokachi
- Producers listed
- 5
- Most wineries in
- 池田町・音更町
- Founded 2010 or later
- 80%
- 4 of 5 with a known founding year
Tokachi, located in eastern Hokkaido, is one of Japan's most pioneering wine appellations, where cool-climate viticulture was born out of necessity. Founded in 1963 when Ikeda Town established Japan's first municipally operated winery, the region is defined by a harsh continental climate with severe winters reaching −30°C. To survive, winemakers developed world-class cold-hardy hybrid varieties — most notably Yamasachi and Kiyomai — crossbreeds of Kiyomi with wild mountain grapes (Vitis coignetiae). Yamasachi was registered by the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine) in 2020, making it only the third Japanese variety to receive this recognition. Today, the appellation includes wineries such as Tokachi Wine (Ikeda), Aizawa Winery (Obihiro), MEMURO WINERY, and Tokachi Makibanoie Winery, producing crisp, dry wines that reflect Tokachi's rugged northern terroir.
Best for
Adventurous wine lovers curious about Japan's most extreme cool-climate viticulture and uniquely indigenous grape varieties.
Food Pairings
Tokachi's crisp, high-acid wines shine with the region's bold local cuisine. Kiyomai and Kerner pair beautifully with fresh Hokkaido dairy, locally produced cheese, and cold-water seafood. Yamasachi's wild, tannic character stands up to grilled Ezo venison, Jingisukan (grilled lamb), and the iconic Obihiro butadon (pork rice bowl). Aged Tokachi cheese is a classic local pairing that showcases the 'same-soil' harmony of the region.
Winery Map of Tokachi
Of the Tokachi wineries on Vinami, we show the 5 whose locations we have verified.
Wineries by Municipality
- 池田町2
- Tokachi Makibanoie WineryFounded 2021
- Tokachi WineFounded 1963
- 音更町1
- Tokachigaoka WineryFounded 2025
- 芽室町1
- Memuro WineryFounded 2020
- 帯広市1
- Obihiro WineryFounded 2019
Addresses and founding years are verified against each winery's official website and public information from local governments and industry bodies. Sources are listed on each producer's page.
Producers
めむろワイナリー
Memuro Winery
Memuro Winery (Memuro-cho, Tokachi, Hokkaido) is a community-rooted winery born from the dreams of local arable farmers in Memuro Town — a region traditionally known for potato, sugar beet, and wheat cultivation. Founded in 2020 with a brewing license obtained on October 1, 2020, the winery is located within the Shin-Arashiyama Sky Park public facility as part of a public-private partnership initiative led by Memuro Town. The winery's signature philosophy is 'wine for every field' (畑ごとのワインづくり): each grape grower's harvest is fermented and bottled separately, expressing the unique character of individual vineyards. The winery focuses on cold-hardy varieties suited to Tokachi's harsh winters, led by Yamasachi (山幸) — a Tokachi-born hybrid of Vitis amurensis and Kiyomi registered with the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) in 2020 as Japan's third OIV-certified indigenous variety — as well as Kiyomi (清舞). Using Asia's first high-performance destemmer and rigorous scientific quality management, Memuro Winery pursues wines that speak purely of Tokachi terroir. Representative: Koichi Bito (尾藤光一). In June 2025, the winery received the JAL Award at the 8th Japan Winery Award (JWA) 2025, recognizing it as one of three next-generation wineries expected to contribute to the future of Japanese wine and tourism.
Explore →
memurowinery.jp帯広ワイナリー
Obihiro Winery
Aizawa Winery is a small, family-run estate in Itaira, Obihiro, in Hokkaido's Tokachi region. What began in 1998 as an effort by farmer Tatsuya Aizawa to save Hokkaido's disappearing wild grapevines (yamabudo) grew, over two decades, into a winery: the vineyard's best-tasting vines were selected and propagated, the winery itself was completed in 2019 — the first new winery to open in Tokachi in 56 years — and commercial wine sales began in 2020 under his son, Ichiro Aizawa. The estate farms yamabudo, Kiyomi, Yamasachi, and Kiyomai entirely without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, relying on Tokachi's brutal winters, which freeze the soil roughly a meter deep, to naturally suppress pests and disease. Aizawa's approach to winemaking is deliberately hands-off, trusting wild yeasts and natural fermentation to express the raw character of Hokkaido's indigenous vines.
Explore →
aizawanouen.com/十勝まきばの家ワイナリー
Tokachi Makibanoie Winery
Tokachi Makibanoie Winery is a boutique winery in Ikeda Town, Hokkaido, opened in September 2021 as the fourth winery in the historic Tokachi wine region. Located within the Tokachi Makibanoie tourist farm resort, the winery is helmed by veteran winemakers Tsukasa Nakabayashi and Akihiko Naito, both former directors of the Ikeda Town Grape and Wine Research Institute and licensed enologists. Grapes are grown on a 6.5-hectare estate in Ikeda by sister company Far'mu Rakuen, centered on the cold-hardy Japanese variety Yamasachi alongside Kiyomi, Kiyomai, Niagara, and New Niagara. The winery channels decades of Tokachi's pioneering cool-climate winemaking experience into wines that express each grape's individuality, set against a backdrop of forest cafes, cottages, and a wine-barrel sauna that make the winery itself a travel destination.
Explore →
makibanoie.com/winery/十勝ワイン
Tokachi Wine
Japan's oldest municipal winery, established in 1963 in Ikeda, Tokachi. Famous for the local Yamasachi and Kiyomi grape varieties bred specifically for the cold Tokachi climate.
Explore →
www.tokachi-wine.com十勝が丘ワイナリー
Tokachigaoka Winery
Tokachigaoka Winery opened in April 2025 in the Tokachigawa Onsen area of Otofuke, Hokkaido, becoming the town's first full-scale winery. Operated by Tokachi Budouen (Tokachi Vineyards), founded in 2020 under representative Toshio Nakamura, the winery pursues organic viticulture free of chemical fertilizers and herbicides, farming its own adjacent vineyards under Organic JAS certification. Its wines are built around the cold-hardy Hokkaido-native grape varieties Yamasachi and Kiyomai, primarily crafted into red wine with smaller volumes of white and rosé, totaling roughly 12,800 bottles (750ml) per year. The facility combines a fermentation room, barrel and bottle aging cellar, and bottling line with a visitor shop and tasting counter overlooking the vineyard.
Explore →
tokachigaoka-w.jp/
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes Tokachi wine different from other Japanese wines?
- Tokachi is the only Japanese wine appellation built around entirely indigenous hybrid varieties — Yamasachi and Kiyomai — developed specifically for its extreme -30°C winters. No other region in Japan has produced OIV-registered grape varieties, making Tokachi truly one-of-a-kind.
- What is Yamasachi and why is it significant?
- Yamasachi is a cold-hardy red grape variety developed by Ikeda Town through crossing Kiyomi with wild mountain grapes (Vitis coignetiae). In 2020, it became the third Japanese variety — and the first from Hokkaido — to be registered with the OIV. Its wines are dark, tannic, and herbaceous with wild berry character.
- Is Tokachi wine dry or sweet?
- Tokachi wine is predominantly dry. The region's philosophy has always been to produce food-friendly, crisp dry wines that highlight the natural acidity of cold-climate grapes. Sweet versions exist but dry styles are the hallmark of the appellation.
- Which wineries are in Tokachi?
- The major producers include Tokachi Wine (Ikeda Town, est. 1963 — Japan's first municipal winery), Aizawa Winery (Obihiro, est. 2019), MEMURO WINERY (Memuro Town, est. 2020), and Tokachi Makibanoie Winery (Ikeda Town, est. 2021).
- Can Kerner and Pinot Noir grow in Tokachi's harsh climate?
- Yes — in favorable microclimates within Tokachi, Kerner (aromatic white) and Pinot Noir thrive during the warm, sunny autumn months when diurnal temperature swings concentrate sugars and preserve acidity. The region's 'Tokachi Bare' (Tokachi sunshine) provides ideal ripening windows despite brutal winters.