Japan Winery Map

Know the grapes

Yamabudo (wild grape)山ぶどう

Wineries growing it
35
Awards
19
Years with awards
2005–2026

A wild grape native to Japan's mountains, usually making a deeply coloured red wine with pronounced acidity and a rustic character.

Yamabudo is a wild grape that grows in forests across Japan; it has long been foraged and cultivated for wine in Hokkaido, Tohoku and Shinshu. The berries are small with a high skin-to-juice ratio, so the wines tend to be deeply coloured, with firm acidity and a clear-cut flavour. It is a different species from the European wine grape (Vitis vinifera) and is tolerant of cold and of Japan's wet climate, which is why northern wineries have used it to express local character. Its acidity and colour suit game and richly flavoured meat dishes; because the acidity can be high on its own, it is often blended with other varieties or made in a sweeter style.

Japan (mountains of Hokkaido and Tohoku)deep colourfirm aciditywild, rustic characterberry

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.)

Yamabudo (wild grape) at the Japan Wine Competition

19 awards in the published results carry “Yamabudo (wild grape)” in the entry name, across 6 wineries and 13 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 4
  • Silver 2
  • Bronze 8
  • Encouragement 3

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 Yamabudo (wild grape)

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