Ibaraki
茨城県
Home to Japan's first full-scale winery, Ushiku Chateau (1903).
About Ibaraki
- Producers listed
- 4
- Most wineries in
- つくば市・牛久市
- Founded 2010 or later
- 25%
- 1 of 4 with a known founding year
Ibaraki Prefecture, on Japan's Pacific coast northeast of Tokyo, holds a special place in Japanese wine history: Ushiku Chateau, founded in 1903 by entrepreneur Denbei Kamiya, was Japan's first full-scale winery to integrate grape growing, fermentation, and bottling in one estate, modeled on Bordeaux techniques and now a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. Today the prefecture's wine scene is small but diverse, spanning historic Ushiku, the slopes of Mount Tsukuba (home to Tsukuba Winery's unfiltered wines), Mito, and Naka, where Kiuchi Shuzo (of Hitachino Nest fame) also produces wine. The broad plains and Pacific-moderated climate — tempering both summer heat and winter cold — support a range of grapes from Koshu and Cabernet Sauvignon to hybrid and international varieties, generally yielding elegant, food-friendly wines.
Best for
History-minded wine travelers and fans of elegant, food-friendly Japanese wines from an emerging region.
Food Pairings
Pairs naturally with Ibaraki's own table: Hitachi beef steaks and hot pots, monkfish (anko) nabe from the Pacific coast, fresh seafood, and natto-based dishes — the region's elegant, balanced acidity works well with both rich and fermented flavors.
Winery Map of Ibaraki
Of the Ibaraki wineries on Vinami, we show the 4 whose locations we have verified.
Wineries by Municipality
- つくば市1
- Tsukuba WineryFounded 2012
- 牛久市1
- Ushiku ChateauFounded 1903
- 常陸太田市1
- Hiyama ShuzoFounded 1884
- 筑西市1
- Raifuku ShuzoFounded 1716
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
檜山酒造株式会社
Hiyama Shuzo
Hiyama Shuzo is a family-run sake brewery founded in 1884 in Hitachiota, Ibaraki Prefecture, along the old Tanakura Kaido road near the Abukuma mountains. Best known for its sake brands Asahi Masamune, Chihime, and the daiginjo Mitsukuni, the brewery began cultivating wine grapes on its own estate in the late 1970s and obtained its winemaking license in 1981, releasing wines under the 'Hitachi Wine' label. The lineup centers on wild-grape hybrid varieties suited to the region's climate — Shokoshi, Black Pegal, White Pegal, Wine Grand, and Yama Sauvignon — alongside Kyoho table grapes grown in local orchards, resulting in around seven distinct wines that bridge Japan's native vine heritage with European winemaking know-how.
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hiyama.hitachiota.jp/来福酒造
Raifuku Shuzo
Founded in 1716 in Chikusei, Ibaraki Prefecture, Raifuku Shuzo is one of Japan's oldest sake breweries, renowned for pioneering 'Flower Yeast' — natural yeast strains isolated from flowers such as cherry blossoms. In 2016, marking its 300th anniversary, the brewery took on a new challenge: winemaking. Raifuku applies its signature sake yeasts to wines made from Ibaraki-grown grapes, including the red hybrid variety Fuji no Yume (a cross of wild yamabudo and Merlot) and the white variety Hokuten no Shizuku, sourced from vineyards in Tsukuba, Kasama, and Yachiyo. The resulting SUNRISE (white) and SUNSET (red) wines carry the delicate acidity and umami-friendly balance the brewery is known for in sake.
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raifuku.co.jp/つくばワイナリー
Tsukuba Winery
Located in the Hōjō district at the foot of Mount Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture, Tsukuba Winery (operated by Kadoya Company Co., Ltd.) began growing wine grapes in 2012 and opened Tsukuba City's first winery in 2019 as the pilot project of the "Tsukuba Wine & Fruit Liquor Special Zone." The estate integrates vineyard and winery under one roof, cultivating the domestic hybrid varieties Fuji no Yume and Hokuten no Shizuku alongside Chardonnay, Merlot, Marselan, Petit Manseng and Albariño, chosen for the region's granite soils and the strong seasonal "Tsukuba-oroshi" wind. Signature labels include the Twin Peaks series and Tsukuba Primo, and the winery earned a bronze award at the 2024 Japan Wine Competition.
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tsukuba-winery.kadoya-company.com/牛久シャトー
Ushiku Chateau
Founded in 1903 by entrepreneur Denbei Kamiya as 'Chateau Kamiya,' Ushiku Chateau in Ibaraki Prefecture is widely regarded as the birthplace of authentic Japanese wine production — the first facility in Japan to carry out grape cultivation, fermentation, bottling, and shipping entirely in-house using Bordeaux-inspired methods. Its Meiji-era brick buildings were designated a National Important Cultural Property in 2008 and recognized as part of a Japan Heritage story in 2020. After closing in 2018 due to chronic losses, the winery was revived through a citizen-led petition of roughly 25,000 signatures and public crowdfunding, reopening in June 2020 under Ushiku Chateau Co., Ltd. Today it operates as a working winery and brewery alongside a historical museum and restaurant, producing small-batch Japanese wines — including Merlot, Koshu, and limited-edition cuvées such as CANON WINE made with grapes sourced from growers with ties to the Kamiya family — that placed at the Japan Wine Competition 2026.
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ushiku-chateau.com/
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Ibaraki a well-known Japanese wine region?
- Ibaraki is not among Japan's largest producers (that title belongs to Yamanashi, Nagano, Hokkaido, and Yamagata), but it holds historic importance as the birthplace of Japan's first full-scale winery, Ushiku Chateau, founded in 1903.
- What makes Ushiku Chateau historically significant?
- Founded in 1903 by Denbei Kamiya and modeled on Bordeaux winemaking, Ushiku Chateau was Japan's first winery to combine grape cultivation, fermentation, and bottling on a single estate; three of its original buildings are now a designated Important Cultural Property.
- What grape varieties are grown in Ibaraki?
- Ibaraki wineries grow both Japanese and international varieties, including Koshu for whites and Cabernet Sauvignon for reds, alongside hybrid grapes suited to the prefecture's Pacific-moderated climate.
- Which wineries should I look for from Ibaraki?
- Notable names include Ushiku Chateau (the historic pioneer), Tsukuba Winery at the foot of Mount Tsukuba, Domaine Mito, and Kiuchi Shuzo in Naka, the sake and craft-beer maker also known for Hitachino Nest.
- What food pairs well with Ibaraki wine?
- Local specialties such as Hitachi beef, monkfish (anko) hot pot from the Pacific coast, and fresh seafood pair especially well with the region's elegant, food-friendly wine style.