Japan Winery Map

Know the grapes

Koshu甲州

Wineries growing it
108
Awards
1196
Years with awards
2003–2026

Usually makes a clean, dry white wine with gentle acidity, citrus-like aromas and a faint touch of bitterness.

A white-wine grape with pale violet-tinged skin, native to Japan and grown mainly in the Kofu Basin of Yamanashi. It is one of the most widely used wine grapes in Japan, and in 2010 it became the first Japanese variety registered with the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine). The flavour tends to be understated with moderate acidity, and a faint bitterness from the skins often gives the wine its outline. It is frequently made as a white wine intended to accompany Japanese food such as sashimi and tempura.

Japan (Yamanashi)citrusyuzusubtle bitternessgentle acidity

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.

Statements of fact — origin, crossing, plant-variety registration and growing regions — have been checked against public bodies, research institutes, or the breeder (4 sources).

Koshu at the Japan Wine Competition

1196 awards in the published results carry “Koshu” in the entry name, across 67 wineries and 24 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.

  • Grand Gold 2
  • Gold 113
  • Silver 324
  • Bronze 568
  • Encouragement 101
  • Selected 10

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 Koshu

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