Japan Winery Map

Know the grapes

Rieslingリースリング

Wineries growing it
30
Awards
50
Years with awards
2003–2026

Marked by bright acidity and floral aromatics, and made in every style from bone dry to sweet.

Germany's flagship white grape. In cool climates it shows apple-like fruit and very high acidity; in warmer ones the aromas lean more toward citrus and peach. Because the acidity is firm, even sweeter styles stay balanced rather than heavy. In Japan it is planted in parts of cool regions such as Hokkaido and Nagano, though fewer producers work with it than with the related German variety Kerner. It goes well with lightly sweet-savoury dishes and with spiced food.

Germany (Rhine valley)white peachapplelemon

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.)

Riesling at the Japan Wine Competition

50 awards in the published results carry “Riesling” in the entry name, across 13 wineries and 23 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 1
  • Gold 3
  • Silver 13
  • Bronze 19
  • Encouragement 11
  • Selected 1

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 Riesling

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