Counting varieties that appear in award records
Data ／ Published 2026-08-26
We scan award-winning wine names for grape-variety names to see which varieties appear in the Japanese wine award data. Because wines that do not name their grape cannot be detected this way, the table is a verifiable lower bound, not a measure of total use.
- 甲州1196
- シャルドネ977
- メルロー672
- マスカット・ベーリーA581
- ナイアガラ224
- ケルナー216
- カベルネ・ソーヴィニヨン200
- デラウェア123
- ソーヴィニヨン・ブラン105
- ツヴァイゲルト89
- キャンベル・アーリー72
- ピノ・ノワール65
How varieties are detected
This calculation looks at the wine name stored with each award record. We match those names against the variety names used on this site and count the award records in which a variety appears. If a wine name lists more than one grape, it appears under each matching variety. We are not inferring the declared blend percentage or identifying the grape through laboratory analysis.
That makes the table a lower bound. A wine may use Koshu while presenting only a brand name, or refer to several grapes through a separate cuvée name, and remain invisible to this method. Conversely, a variety in a wine name does not by itself establish how much of it was used or what the wine tastes like.
The layers visible in the table
The rows are ordered by how often a variety appears in the names of award records. Koshu, which appears at the top of this current view, is described by public authorities as a native Japanese white-wine grape. Muscat Bailey A is also a native Japanese black-grape variety developed through crossing in Japan. European varieties such as Chardonnay and Merlot are also cultivated in Japan and appear in the award records.
| Variety | English | Awards | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 甲州 | Koshu | 1196 | 67 |
| シャルドネ | Chardonnay | 977 | 101 |
| メルロー | Merlot | 672 | 75 |
| マスカット・ベーリーA | Muscat Bailey A | 581 | 72 |
| ナイアガラ | Niagara | 224 | 31 |
| ケルナー | Kerner | 216 | 20 |
| カベルネ・ソーヴィニヨン | Cabernet Sauvignon | 200 | 40 |
| デラウェア | Delaware | 123 | 30 |
| ソーヴィニヨン・ブラン | Sauvignon Blanc | 105 | 34 |
| ツヴァイゲルト | Zweigelt | 89 | 12 |
| キャンベル・アーリー | Campbell Early | 72 | 10 |
| ピノ・ノワール | Pinot Noir | 65 | 17 |
| リースリング | Riesling | 50 | 13 |
| シラー | Syrah | 49 | 13 |
| 信濃リースリング | Shinano Riesling | 47 | 5 |
| ミュラー・トゥルガウ | Müller-Thurgau | 41 | 8 |
| カベルネ・フラン | Cabernet Franc | 40 | 7 |
| 甲斐ノワール | Kai Noir | 37 | 11 |
| ブラック・クイーン | Black Queen | 33 | 9 |
| ヤマ・ソーヴィニヨン | Yama Sauvignon | 33 | 11 |
| ピノ・ブラン | Pinot Blanc | 30 | 4 |
| 竜眼（善光寺） | Ryugan (Zenkoji) | 21 | 8 |
| マスカット・オブ・アレキサンドリア | Muscat of Alexandria | 19 | 2 |
| 山ぶどう | Yamabudo (wild grape) | 19 | 6 |
| アルバリーニョ | Albariño | 19 | 4 |
What this order shows is how variety names are used in the names of award-winning wines. Native Japanese grapes, overseas-origin grapes, and hybrids can all appear in the same dataset, so Japanese wine cannot be explained through a single variety. A variety absent from the table, or a wine that leaves its grape unnamed, should not be read as uncommon.
Continue to the variety pages
Our reading: This table is best used as a starting point for searching, not as a verdict on which grape is “best” for awards. Naming a grape is one way for a producer to communicate a wine; leaving it out can also be a deliberate product choice. Frequency in award records is not the same measure as vineyard area, production volume, or quality.
If a variety catches your attention, continue from the variety index to its individual page. The pages separate producers confirmed to grow the variety from award records in which its name appears. They also make clear what is confirmed and what remains unknown beyond the name-matching method.
Sources for this page
- nihon-wine.vercel.app 2026-08-27本サイトが品評会の公表結果を銘柄と受賞記録として整理していること
- nihon-wine.vercel.app 2026-08-27本サイトの品種一覧と、品種別ページへの導線
- www.nta.go.jp 2026-08-27甲州とマスカット・ベーリーAを日本固有の品種として紹介し、欧州系品種の導入と多様な品種構成を説明していること
- www.maff.go.jp 2026-08-27マスカット・ベーリーAの交雑による成立と、日本ワインでの利用について
- www.pref.yamanashi.jp 2026-08-27甲州とマスカット・ベーリーAが日本固有の品種であること、両品種の特徴