Katsunuma
勝沼
Japan's most established wine region, producing the distinctive Koshu white and the indigenous Black Queen red, with a history of winemaking stretching back over 130 years.
About Katsunuma
- Producers listed
- 38
- Most wineries in
- 甲州市
- Founded 2010 or later
- 26%
- 9 of 35 with a known founding year
Katsunuma is the historic heartland of Japanese winemaking, located in Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture. Nestled in the Kofu Basin at the foot of the Southern Alps, it benefits from warm temperatures, good drainage, and concentrated sunshine that allow both indigenous and European varieties to thrive. The area is home to the Katsunuma Wine Village, a cluster of boutique wineries sharing a riverside site along the Hikawa River.
Best for
Delicate, mineral-driven white wines from Koshu that pair beautifully with Japanese cuisine, seafood, and light dishes; robust reds from Black Queen for grilled meats and aged cheeses.
Food Pairings
Sushi, sashimi, tempura, grilled fish, light pasta dishes, charcuterie, and Japanese nimono (simmered dishes).
Winery Map of Katsunuma
Of the Katsunuma wineries on Vinami, we show the 37 whose locations we have verified.
Wineries by Municipality
- 甲州市37
- Asaya WineryFounded 1921
- BudoubatakeFounded 2006
- Care Fit Farm WineryFounded 2018
- Casa WatanabeFounded 2020
- Chateau JunFounded 1979
- Chateau KatsunumaFounded 1877
- Chateau MercianFounded 1877
- Chateraise Belle Foret Winery KatsunumaFounded 2000
- Diamond WineryFounded 1939
- Domaine OyamadaFounded 2014
- Domaine PonkotsuFounded 2015
- Fujiclair WineryFounded 1963
- Grace WineFounded 1923
- Haramo WineFounded 1924
- Hiyori WineryFounded 2018
- Ikeda WineryFounded 1995
- Iwasaki JozoFounded 1941
- Kashiwa Wine
- Katsunuma WineryFounded 1937
- Kinjyo BudoshuFounded 1963
- Kurambon WineFounded 1913
- L'Orient WineFounded 1938
- La Belle VigneFounded 2019
- Mann's WinesFounded 1963
- Manns Wine Katsunuma WineryFounded 1963
- Marufuji Winery (Rubaiyat)Founded 1882
- Maruki WineryFounded 1891
- Marusan BudoshuFounded 1963
- MGVs WineryFounded 2017
- Morita Koshu WineryFounded 1973
- Nakahara WineryFounded 2014
- Nikkawa WineryFounded 2020
- Ohizumi WineryFounded 1963
- Papapuru
- Soryu WineryFounded 1899
- Toumu WineryFounded 2004
- Yamato Budoshu Co., Ltd.Founded 1913
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
麻屋葡萄酒株式会社
Asaya Winery
Founded in 1921 in Katsunuma, the birthplace of Japanese winemaking, Asaya Winery is a century-old family producer built on a strikingly simple philosophy: no water is ever added during production, so every bottle expresses the grape and the land as they are. Managing director Kazuki Amemiya sums it up plainly — "You cannot make a Chardonnay out of Koshu" — and the winery works with each variety's natural character rather than chasing international styles. Fertilizer use on its vineyards is kept to a minimum, with compost applied only once every few years, letting decades of accumulated terroir knowledge guide the fruit. Visitors can tour the brewing facility and underground cellar by reservation and taste the results in a shop built into the winery's original 1921 concrete fermentation tanks.
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www.asaya-winery.jp/菱山中央醸造
Budoubatake
Budoubatake (Hishiyama Chuo Jozo Co., Ltd.) is a farmer-run winery in the Hishiyama district of Katsunuma, Koshu City, Yamanashi — one of Japan's oldest wine-growing areas. Founded in the early Showa era when local farmers of the Mori family were granted a brewing license, the winery has operated for roughly 90 years as a cooperative where Hishiyama grape growers bring their own harvest to be pressed together, historically for their own household consumption. Now led by 18th-generation farmer Hitoshi Mitsumori (incorporated as a limited company in 2006), it remains one of the few wineries in Japan still using a traditional wooden basket press: grapes are crushed and pressed by hand and jack, with only the finest first-run juice fermented into what locals call the 'ultimate grape wine.' Grown on the well-drained alluvial slopes of Hishiyama, the estate's Koshu, Muscat Bailey A, and Delaware grapes yield simple, additive-free wines — dry and off-dry Koshu whites, a rosé, a Muscat Bailey A red, and a Delaware sparkling — sold mainly through the winery's own farm stand and grape-picking visitors rather than wide distribution.
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www.budoubatake.co.jp/ケアフィットファームワイナリー
Care Fit Farm Winery
Care Fit Farm Winery is a distinctive winery in Katsunuma Wine Village, Koshu City, Yamanashi -- Japan's historic wine heartland. Operated by the Japan Care-Fit Education Institute, a public interest foundation, it is a pioneering example of Japan's "agri-welfare collaboration" model, where around 20 staff members with disabilities work alongside winemaker Takuya Nakane through every stage of production, from tending the roughly four-hectare estate vineyard to harvesting, pressing, and bottling. Grown exclusively from Koshu and Muscat Bailey A, Japan's two signature native varieties, the wines are fermented with wild yeast and made without added sulfites or fining agents, letting the fruit's natural character shine through in soft, easy-drinking bottlings. What began around 2011 as a volunteer project to reclaim abandoned farmland near Toriidaira has grown into a working symbol of inclusion, sustainability, and terroir-driven Japanese winemaking.
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www.carefit.org/farm/winery/カーサ・ワタナベ
Casa Watanabe
Casa Watanabe is a micro-winery in Katsunuma Wine Village, Koshu City, Yamanashi. The company was founded in July 2017 by Tetsuya Watanabe, who left a 27-year career as a software engineer at Hitachi after a trip to Italy showed him how wine could elevate everyday meals; the winery began producing its own wine in 2020. Watanabe describes his philosophy as "not obsessing over details," favoring minimal intervention so the grapes' natural character shows through and the wine complements food rather than dominating it. The winery works primarily with Koshu and Muscat Bailey A sourced from Yamanashi growers, alongside a small estate planting of Koshu, Muscat Bailey A, and Albariño farmed with minimal spraying. Wines are fermented slowly at low temperature to preserve freshness, resulting in crisp, food-friendly whites and rosés alongside a small range of reds and a pomace brandy. The winery also offers reservation-only lunches pairing Watanabe's home cooking with his own wines. Its Koshu bottling K puro 2024 won Gold at the Sakura Award 2025, and Bailey A 2024 won Silver the same year.
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winewatanabe2.com/シャトージュン
Chateau Jun
Chateau Jun is a winery founded in 1979 by JUN Co., Ltd., a prominent Japanese fashion and lifestyle conglomerate, making it one of the pioneering examples of a Japanese apparel company venturing into wine production at a time when such an idea was virtually unheard of in Japan. Located in Katsunuma-cho, Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture — Japan's premier wine-growing region — the winery operates its own vineyard of approximately 2 hectares and works with contracted farmers across Katsunuma Town and Hakushu Town in Hokuto City. Chateau Jun produces around 70,000 bottles annually from a diverse portfolio of grape varieties: white wines from Koshu (the Japanese indigenous variety), Semillon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Delaware, and Riesling; red wines from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Muscat Bailey A, Fujinoyume (a Japanese indigenous red variety), Marselan, and others. Winemaking and viticulture are overseen by Yoshiya Nirin, whose philosophy centers on producing honest wines that faithfully reflect the terroir of Katsunuma rather than chasing concentration or power. The winery targets elegance, drinkability, and long-aging potential. Chateau Jun has received four stars at the Japan Winery Award (JWA) for six consecutive years as of 2025 (started in 2020), and their Koshu 2018 was served at the G20 Osaka Summit leaders dinner in 2019. ROUGE 2023 (made from the indigenous Fujinoyume variety) won a Silver at Decanter World Wine Awards 2025 — the first DWWA recognition for a wine made from this variety. The winery also produces a cryo-extraction dessert wine from Koshu grapes and an accessible everyday range called Gabu-nomi Chateau Jun. JUN Group also operates Versailles Resort Farm in Hokkaido, a retirement home for racehorses, and releases special-label wines inspired by celebrated racehorses, reflecting the group's broader lifestyle and culture brand ethos.
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www.chateaujun.com/シャトー勝沼
Chateau Katsunuma
Founded in 1877, Chateau Katsunuma is one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries in Japan, located in Katsunuma-cho, Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, in the heart of the Koshu Valley. With over 140 years of history, the winery combines traditional winemaking techniques with modern technology to produce high-quality wines. They specialize in Koshu grapes, Japan's signature white wine variety, and offer a wide range of products including sparkling, white, and red wines. The winery features a direct-sales shop and restaurant, providing visitors with an authentic experience of Japanese viticulture and its harmonious pairing with local cuisine.
Explore →
www.chateauk.co.jp/winery/
Show all other producers (32)
- Chateau Mercian
- Chateraise Belle Foret Winery Katsunuma
- Diamond Winery
- Domaine Oyamada
- Domaine Ponkotsu
- Fujiclair Winery
- Grace Wine
- Grande Polaire Katsunuma Winery
- Haramo Wine
- Hiyori Winery
- Ikeda Winery
- Iwasaki Jozo
- Kashiwa Wine
- Katsunuma Winery
- Kinjyo Budoshu
- Kurambon Wine
- L'Orient Wine
- La Belle Vigne
- MGVs Winery
- Mann's Wines
- Manns Wine Katsunuma Winery
- Marufuji Winery (Rubaiyat)
- Maruki Winery
- Marusan Budoshu
- Morita Koshu Winery
- Nakahara Winery
- Nikkawa Winery
- Ohizumi Winery
- Papapuru
- Soryu Winery
- Toumu Winery
- Yamato Budoshu Co., Ltd.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes Yamanashi wine different from other Japanese regions?
- Yamanashi is Japan's oldest and largest wine region, home to the Koshu grape - a pink-skinned variety cultivated here for over 1,000 years. Its continental climate produces wines with a distinctive combination of bright acidity, subtle citrus and stone-fruit aromas, and a delicate mineral finish perfectly suited to Japanese cuisine.
- What is GI Yamanashi?
- GI (Geographical Indication) Yamanashi is Japan's official wine appellation, granted in 2013, which certifies that wines are made from grapes grown in Yamanashi Prefecture and adhere to specific production standards. It was Japan's first wine GI designation.
- What grape varieties grow in Yamanashi?
- The most iconic is Koshu, an ancient indigenous white variety producing dry, mineral whites. Black Queen, a red hybrid developed in Japan, is the flagship red. International varieties including Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon are also cultivated.