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What is being grown in each prefecture

Data / Published 2026-08-27

The variety distribution shows that the grapes producers identify publicly differ by prefecture. The count covers varieties that producers have said they grow; it does not show the source of purchased grapes or vineyards that have not been disclosed. Read the distribution by separating what is recorded from what remains a hypothesis.

Producers with varieties known
  • Nagano90
  • Yamanashi84
  • Hokkaido59
  • Yamagata20
  • Iwate13
  • Ibaraki10
  • Okayama10
  • Fukushima9
  • Hiroshima9
  • Niigata9
  • Fukuoka8
  • Tochigi8

Counting publicly identified varieties The table aggregates varieties that official producer information confirms as being grown in each prefecture. Producers that have not published varieties cannot be counted here. It is therefore not a complete inventory of vineyards in each prefecture, but a distribution of producers whose information could be verified.

PrefectureProducers with varieties knownMost-grown varieties (producers)Distinct varieties
Nagano90シャルドネ(62)、メルロー(59)、ソーヴィニヨン・ブラン(37)45
Yamanashi84甲州(70)、マスカット・ベーリーA(48)、メルロー(35)36
Hokkaido59ピノ・ノワール(34)、シャルドネ(24)、ケルナー(18)32
Yamagata20デラウェア(11)、メルロー(11)、マスカット・ベーリーA(9)24
Iwate13メルロー(5)、マスカット・ベーリーA(4)、山ぶどう(4)16
Ibaraki10シャルドネ(5)、メルロー(5)、カベルネ・ソーヴィニヨン(3)22
Okayama10マスカット・ベーリーA(6)、メルロー(3)、カベルネ・ソーヴィニヨン(3)19
Fukushima9マスカット・ベーリーA(5)、ヤマ・ソーヴィニヨン(4)、シャルドネ(3)20
Hiroshima9マスカット・ベーリーA(6)、シャルドネ(5)、ソーヴィニヨン・ブラン(3)25
Niigata9ツヴァイゲルト(2)、カベルネ・ソーヴィニヨン(2)、マスカット・ベーリーA(2)19
Fukuoka8キャンベル・アーリー(4)、メルロー(3)、シャルドネ(3)19
Tochigi8マスカット・ベーリーA(4)、シャルドネ(4)、甲州(3)15
Tokyo8デラウェア(4)、甲州(3)、ナイアガラ(3)14
Chiba7マスカット・ベーリーA(5)、シャルドネ(3)、メルロー(3)16
Aomori6メルロー(4)、スチューベン(2)、マスカット・ベーリーA(2)15
Osaka6デラウェア(6)、マスカット・ベーリーA(5)、メルロー(3)13
Tottori6メルロー(5)、シャルドネ(4)、その他交配品種(3)15
Aichi5デラウェア(3)、マスカット・ベーリーA(3)、メルロー(2)17
Akita5ヤマ・ソーヴィニヨン(2)、スチューベン(2)、ツヴァイゲルト(2)14
Hyogo5シャルドネ(4)、メルロー(3)、マスカット・ベーリーA(2)13
Kanagawa5シャルドネ(5)、ピノ・ノワール(4)、カベルネ・ソーヴィニヨン(4)16
Miyagi5メルロー(5)、甲州(4)、シャルドネ(4)15
Miyazaki5シャルドネ(5)、デラウェア(3)、メルロー(3)12
Oita5シャルドネ(4)、メルロー(4)、マスカット・ベーリーA(4)16
Gifu4シャルドネ(2)、モンドブリエ(1)、アルバリーニョ(1)11
Counts only producers that publish which varieties they grow, so prefectures where few publish will look thinner than they are. Grapes bought in from elsewhere are not attributed here, so this is not a map of where the fruit is grown.

“Leading varieties” means the number of producers in the records associated with each variety, not harvest volume or sales. Chardonnay and Merlot appear widely across prefectures, while other varieties stand out in particular regions. A producer growing several varieties is counted for each one. A prefecture with more producers publishing detail may also appear more diverse.

What Koshu and Kerner invite us to ask In the table, Koshu appears concentrated in Yamanashi and Kerner in Hokkaido. Koshu’s concentration invites research into the history of a variety rooted in a region, while Kerner’s pattern invites research into suitability for cooler places. The table cannot establish that climate or history alone explains either pattern. Variety introductions, cultivation practices, and regional climate require separate primary sources.

Prefecture does not always equal vineyard location. Purchased grapes may be counted under the prefecture where the winery is located, so the table cannot determine harvest volume or a prefecture’s representative variety. The winery’s location and the grapes’ harvest place must be checked separately.

Reading the number of confirmed varieties A higher number of confirmed varieties may reflect genuinely diverse cultivation, but it may also reflect more detailed public disclosure. A lower number does not tell us whether cultivation is narrow or disclosure is sparse. In a prefecture with few confirmed producers, a small number of public statements can also shape the overall impression.

Our reading: A prefecture with more varieties may be experimenting with more options, or may simply publish more. Move from the prefecture to individual producers and check the source and whether the grapes are grown or purchased. A variety in a wine’s name is not by itself proof of cultivation.

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