Japan Winery Map

Know the grapes

Cabernet Sauvignonカベルネ・ソーヴィニヨン

Wineries growing it
98
Awards
200
Years with awards
2003–2026

Deeply coloured and firmly tannic, this benchmark red grape often rewards long ageing.

Thick skins and plenty of seeds give wines that are dark and firmly tannic. Cassis, cedar and bell-pepper notes are typical; the wine can feel tight when young but usually softens after a few years in bottle. It ripens late, which makes it demanding in Japan's rainy climate and short autumn, but it is grown in Yamanashi and Nagano, bottled on its own or blended with Merlot and others. It suits substantial meat dishes such as beef steak or braised red meat.

France (Bordeaux)cassisbell peppercedar

Notes on aroma and taste describe general tendencies for this grape, not claims about any particular wine — the actual character depends on the producer and how it is made.

For this grape we have not yet confirmed a primary source for its origin or growing regions. (Winery entries always carry a source and the date it was checked.)

Cabernet Sauvignon at the Japan Wine Competition

200 awards in the published results carry “Cabernet Sauvignon” in the entry name, across 40 wineries and 22 years. These are read from the entry names, not from declared grape composition, so wines whose names do not mention the grape are not included.

  • Gold 16
  • Silver 53
  • Bronze 99
  • Encouragement 21
  • Selected 4

Wineries with the most awards

Ordered by how many awards we list. Producers differ in how many wines they entered and in how many years they entered, so this is not a ranking of quality.

Wines that have won more than once

Grouped by producer and wine, showing those with three or more awards. Names come from the published entry names, with the vintage removed because each row spans several vintages.

By year

Wineries growing Cabernet Sauvignon

98 listed wineries are recorded by their sources as growing this grape.