Ishikawa
石川
Japan Sea coast's largest vineyard with mineral-rich, oyster shell-amended soils; rare Yamasouvinon variety; UNESCO GIAHS certified satoyama landscape; resilient winemakers rebuilding after the 2024 Noto earthquake
Ishikawa Prefecture, home to the Noto Peninsula, is one of Japan's most distinctive wine regions. The prefecture hosts three wineries—Noto Wine (est. 2004, Anamizu), Heidee Winery (est. 2012, Wajima), and Kanazawa Winery (est. 2006, Kanazawa)—each expressing the region's diverse terroir. Noto Wine is Japan Sea coast's largest winery, cultivating over 20,000 vines across approximately 24 hectares on mineral-rich red soil fertilized with local oyster shells from Anamizu Bay. The peninsula's maritime climate—shaped by sea breezes, long sunshine hours, and diatomaceous earth, red clay, and sandy soils—produces wines with refreshing acidity and notable minerality. Key grape varieties include Yamasouvinon (a rare Japanese cross of Yamabudo × Cabernet Sauvignon), Chardonnay, Merlot, Muscat Bailey A, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Albarino. The region earned UNESCO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) recognition. In January 2024, a magnitude-7.6 earthquake severely impacted the Noto Peninsula; Noto Wine lost approximately 10,000 liters of wine but its vineyards were largely unharmed, while Heidee Winery's restaurant building was destroyed yet the winery has since partially resumed operations.
Best for: Mineral-driven whites (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc) that shine with fresh seafood; fruity medium-bodied reds (Yamasouvinon, Muscat Bailey A) for lighter meat dishes; sparkling wines made by the traditional method for Noto oysters and winter yellowtail (kanburi)
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Producers
ハイディワイナリー
Heidee Winery
Heidee Winery is a pioneering estate winery nestled in Monzen-cho, Wajima City, on the western coast of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. Founded in 2011 by Masaki Takasaku, a Yokohama native whose father's family roots lie in this very corner of Noto, the winery was born from a desire to revitalize a rural community facing depopulation and to craft wines that are authentically Japanese — wines designed to complement the spectacular local seafood, especially the blue fish of the Sea of Japan, and the wild vegetables of the Satoyama landscape. Takasaku's journey to winemaking began during a high school exchange in Switzerland, where the sight of small, family-run wineries nestled among picturesque Alpine villages planted a seed that would take years to grow. After studying viticulture and winemaking at Courbe Dodiche Winery in Niigata and at Domaine Simon Bize in Burgundy, France, he returned to Japan and chose Noto for its exceptional growing conditions: low rainfall during the growing season, abundant sunshine, significant diurnal temperature variation, and a unique mineral-rich Sotoura coastal soil that imparts complex, briny minerality to the finished wines. The winery cultivates approximately 8,000 vines across seven varieties in two sea-facing vineyard sites — Mina-tsuki Uzuyama and Chiyo — growing Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Sémillon, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Albariño. Farming is entirely natural: no herbicides or chemical fertilizers are used; instead, Takasaku employs cover-crop viticulture (sōsei saibai) and a microbial farming philosophy, incorporating appropriate organic compost to maintain living soil. All grapes are hand-harvested with careful sorting. The winery's flagship wines include the CLARA series (named after Heidi's best friend from the classic Alpine story), a 100% Chardonnay dry white wine that won Gold Award at the 2024 Japan Wine Competition in the European-variety white wine category, and the SENRI (千里) range of variety-labeled wines — Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Albariño, and Petit Verdot — celebrated for expressing the pure terroir of Oku-Noto. In 2025, the winery collaborated with gold-leaf artisan brand Hakuza to release '能登の風 2024' (Noto no Kaze 2024), a special cuvée vinified from grapes that survived both the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake and the September 2024 torrential rains, with a portion of proceeds dedicated to regional reconstruction. At the 8th Japan Winery Award 2025 (JWA 2025), Heidee Winery received the prestigious JAL Award — presented by Japan Airlines to wineries expected to contribute to tourism and to shine as the next generation of Japanese wine. The estate also operates an on-site French restaurant, a wine shop, and a bakery, and aspires to build a 300-year winery legacy rooted in the land of Noto.
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heidee-winery.jp/能登ワイン
Noto Wine
Noto Wine (能登ワイン株式会社) is Ishikawa Prefecture's first and flagship winery, established on July 22, 2004, in the town of Anamizu on the Noto Peninsula. Vineyard development began in 2000, and the first vintage was released in 2005. The winery produces approximately 120,000 bottles per year from roughly 25 hectares of vineyards, working in partnership with local farming families. Noto Wine is renowned for its commitment to expressing the unique terroir of the Noto Peninsula through what they call 'nama-zume' (生詰め) — unpasteurized, additive-free wine that preserves the living character of Noto-grown grapes. The signature is freshness: wines bottled without heat treatment to lock in the natural aromas and flavors of each vintage. The winery's most distinctive feature is its soil: vineyards are planted in mineral-rich red earth that is amended with powdered oyster shells from Anamizu Bay, imparting a briny minerality unique to this coastal terroir. This technique draws on Anamizu's centuries-old tradition of oyster aquaculture, connecting wine to the broader Noto agricultural heritage recognized as a FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). Grape varieties cultivated include the signature Japanese hybrid Yama Sauvignon (ヤマソーヴィニヨン — a cross of wild Japanese mountain grape Vitis coignetiae and Cabernet Sauvignon), alongside Chardonnay, Niagara, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Sangiovese. Yama Sauvignon is the emblematic variety — wild, earthy, and intensely flavored with the character of Noto's mountainous coastal landscape. Noto Wine received recognition in the 8th Japan Winery Award (JWA) 2025, affirming its standing among Japan's quality wine producers. The winery survived the devastating 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake (M7.6, January 1, 2024), which caused damage to facilities but left vineyards and core operations intact. The team's determination to continue winemaking — pressing on with the 2024 vintage — became a symbol of Noto's resilience and recovery.
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notowine.com/
Food Pairings
Noto oysters (best with mineral Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc—the same oyster shells that fertilize the vineyards), winter yellowtail (kanburi) sashimi (pairs beautifully with lightly oaked Chardonnay or aged Yamasouvinon), nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) with white or light rosé, Noto beef (Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon), Wajima morning market seafood, Kaga vegetables with light whites, traditional Kaga cuisine (jibuni duck stew with medium-bodied reds), snow crab (zuwaigani / kanogani) with crisp sparkling or Albarino, fresh sea urchin (uni) with unoaked Chardonnay
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes Ishikawa (Noto) wine unique compared to other Japanese wines?
- Ishikawa's wines—especially those from the Noto Peninsula—stand out for two reasons: First, the vineyards at Noto Wine are fertilized with oyster shells from Anamizu Bay, imparting distinctive minerality and balanced acidity. Second, Noto Wine uses Yamasouvinon, an ultra-rare cross of wild Japanese Yamabudo and Cabernet Sauvignon grown almost exclusively on the peninsula, giving reds a savory, umami-rich character that's virtually impossible to find elsewhere.
- What happened to Noto wineries after the 2024 earthquake, and can I still buy their wines?
- The January 2024 Noto earthquake (M7.6) caused significant damage: Noto Wine lost roughly 10,000 liters of stored wine but its vineyards survived largely intact and production resumed quickly. Heidee Winery's restaurant was destroyed, yet the winery itself resumed operations by mid-2024. Both wineries' wines are available online and through retailers nationwide, and purchasing their wines directly supports the ongoing recovery of the Noto Peninsula.
- What food should I pair with Noto wines?
- Noto wines are tailor-made for the prefecture's coastal cuisine. Mineral-forward whites (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc) are superb with Noto oysters, nodoguro seaperch, and snow crab. The Yamasouvinon red works beautifully with Noto beef or duck jibuni stew. For winter yellowtail (kanburi) sashimi—Ishikawa's signature winter delicacy—try a lightly-oaked Chardonnay or a Heidee Winery Merlot-based blend. Sparkling wines made by the traditional method shine alongside oysters and fresh seafood from Wajima morning market.