Yatsugatake West Foothills
八ヶ岳西麓
One of Japan's newest and highest-altitude wine valleys, where small family wineries are turning the volcanic slopes of Yatsugatake into a rising cool-climate destination.
About Yatsugatake West Foothills
- Producers listed
- 5
- Most wineries in
- 原村・茅野市
- Founded 2010 or later
- 100%
- 5 of 5 with a known founding year
Yatsugatake West Foothills is a cool-climate appellation spanning Hara Village, Chino City, and Fujimi Town in Nagano Prefecture, on the western slopes of the Yatsugatake volcanic range. Vineyards sit at elevations of roughly 800 to 1,200 meters, among the highest in Japan, where volcanic soils and dramatic diurnal temperature swings produce wines of striking acidity and clarity.
Best for
Wine lovers seeking vibrant, high-acid Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Japan's newest cool-climate frontier, and travelers drawn to boutique, family-run wineries amid dramatic highland scenery.
Food Pairings
Grilled Shinshu salmon and trout, Yatsugatake highland vegetables, buckwheat soba, Shinshu chicken, and young or fresh mountain cheeses.
Winery Map of Yatsugatake West Foothills
Of the Yatsugatake West Foothills wineries on Vinami, we show the 5 whose locations we have verified.
1 wineries without a published street address are listed below but not shown on the map.
Wineries by Municipality
- 原村4
- Kifutato WinesFounded 2024
- MinenokuraFounded 2023
- Mizukake Brewery(street address not published)Founded 2022
- Yatsugatake Haramura WineryFounded 2022
- 茅野市1
- Oreilles de ChatFounded 2023
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
キフタトワインズ
Kifutato Wines
Kifutato Wines is a family-run winery in Hara Village, Suwa District, Nagano Prefecture, completed in 2024 as the fifth winery of the Yatsugatake West Foothills Wine Valley. Founders Toshiyuki and Takako Hidachi began growing wine grapes on former fallow farmland in 2015; today the winery, based on their "Harayama Farm," is run by their twin daughters Kiriko (winemaking) and Fuko (label design). At roughly 1,015m elevation, the family farms about 2 hectares of some ten varieties, including Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris. The winery's name, "Kifutato," is formed from the initials of the four family members.
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kifutato.stores.jp/みね乃蔵
Minenokura
Minenokura is a micro-winery in Hara Village, Nagano Prefecture, at roughly 1,050 meters above sea level on the western foothills of Mount Yatsugatake — believed to be Japan's highest-altitude winery. It was founded by Mineichi Kobayashi, a local flower farmer who began planting wine grapes at age 50 after returning to his hometown, converting part of his family's Meiji-era storehouse (kura) into a hand-built winery and obtaining his fruit-wine license in August 2023. Farming organically across four small vineyard plots named Jomon, Sanka, Ezo, and Ainu, Minenokura focuses on Pinot Noir alongside Chardonnay, Zweigelt, Dornfelder, and Barbera, fermenting with wild yeast and using minimal sulfites to let the cool, high-altitude terroir speak for itself.
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minenokura.wordpress.com/水掛醸造所
Mizukake Brewery
Mizukake Brewery is a micro-winery on the Mizukake ridge in Hara Village, Suwa District, Nagano Prefecture, in the Yatsugatake West Foothills Wine Valley. Founded by winemaker Mr. Kamakura, a former financial-industry professional who left Tokyo to farm and vinify grapes he could oversee from vine to bottle by himself, the estate began producing its own wine from estate-grown fruit in 2022. Vineyards sit above 1,000 meters, where Alsace-style varieties — Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Sylvaner, and Sauvignon Blanc — are grown on volcanic black-soil plots and cool-climate diurnal swings. Wines are fermented with a mix of wild and cultivated yeast, aged in stainless steel and old oak barrels, and released as small-batch whites, a rosé, and sparkling cuvées under names such as Blanc, Show-Off, and Lingering Snow Zebra. The winery earned a Connoisseur's Wine Award (honourable mention) in the Japan Winery Award 2026.
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オレイユ・ド・シャ
Oreilles de Chat
Oreilles de Chat is a family-run boutique winery in Chino City, Nagano, opened in October 2023 by Toru Koide, a former IT professional who left his career at 49 to study viticulture at a Hokuto, Yamanashi winery and complete the Chikuma River Wine Academy's program. Its vineyards sit at roughly 800-960m on the volcanic slopes of the Yatsugatake foothills along the scenic Venus Line, where his daughter Yuki Koide has become his closest partner in the vines. The name, French for "cat's ears," refers to the twin peaks of Koizumi-yama and Oizumi-yama visible from the estate, which also inspired the winery's playful nickname "Neko Mimi Wine" (Cat Ears Wine). Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Tannat are grown on reclaimed farmland once at risk of abandonment, reflecting the family's mission to build "a winery that lasts a thousand years," rooted in and giving back to the local community.
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www.odcwine.com/八ヶ岳はらむらワイナリー
Yatsugatake Haramura Winery
Yatsugatake Haramura Winery is located in Haramura, Suwa District, Nagano Prefecture, at an altitude of 914 meters on the western foothills of the Yatsugatake mountains. It was opened in October 2022 by Shoei Co., Ltd., a local construction company led by president Masatoshi Shimizu, as the first winery in the Suwa area — part of the broader Shinshu Wine Valley initiative for regional revitalization. Winemaking is led by Hiroyoshi Kamakura, who trained at the Chikuma River Wine Academy and Shinshu Takayama Winery before joining in 2022. The winery crafts wines from Nagano-grown and estate grapes (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris) planted about a minute's walk from the winery, taking advantage of the cool climate, high sunshine hours, and wide diurnal temperature swings of the highland terroir. All red grapes are hand-destemmed to avoid extracting green, herbaceous methoxypyrazine notes, producing elegant, well-balanced wines under labels such as Nomaza, Hoshifuru Wine, and Kazameguru Wine.
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www.haramura-winery.com/
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is the Yatsugatake West Foothills appellation?
- It spans Hara Village, Chino City, and Fujimi Town in Nagano Prefecture, on the western foothills of the Yatsugatake volcanic range, between the mountains and the Southern Alps.
- What makes this area different from Yamanashi's Yatsugatake vineyards?
- While Mt. Yatsugatake also borders Hokuto in Yamanashi Prefecture, this Nagano-side appellation is a distinct, newer wine valley that only began attracting wineries in the last decade, centered on Hara Village's 2020 Wine Special Zone designation.
- What grape varieties thrive here?
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Merlot lead the way, alongside Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and other cool-climate varieties suited to the high elevation and volcanic soils.
- Why has this valley attracted so many new wineries recently?
- Hara Village's 2020 Wine Special Zone status lowered the minimum production requirement for a winemaking license, opening the door for small-scale, family-run producers to open boutique wineries.
- When is the best time to visit?
- Harvest season (September-October) for the grape picking, and summer for cool relief from the lowland heat amid the highland scenery.