Milestones

Dai-Nihon Yamanashi Budoshu Gaisha established, the first private Japanese wine company. The company sent two young men, Masanari Takano and Ryuken Tsuchiya, to France. It then started large-scale wine production using Koshu grapes.

Mercian founded

This year witnessed the creation of the first post-war real wine* brand, "Mercian". Taking up a new challenge, we aimed to create Japanese wine worthy of global recognition.
*Defined as a wine made by authentic methods with no sweeteners or other additives.

Mercian 1962 (White) wins a gold medal at an international wine competition.

17 years since the founding of Mercian. Mercian 1962 (White) wins the first Japanese gold medal at an international wine competition.
This was the moment when the world took notice of Japanese wine, and when the passion for winemaking passed on through generations since the Meiji Era (1868 to 1912) finally bore fruit.

Château Mercian founded

Château Mercian created as a legitimate Japanese winemaking brand. This marks the start of fine wine production in Japan.

Merlot first grown in Kikyogahara

Shogo Asai (pen name Usuke Asai), known as the "father of modern Japanese wine", argued for introducing European varieties to ensure authentic wine production. In 1976, we started cultivating the wine grape variety Merlot in Kikyogahara, near Shiojiri in Nagano Prefecture.

Cabernet Sauvignon grown
in Jyonohira

After growing Merlot in Kikyogahara, we started growing Cabernet Sauvignon in our own vineyard, Jyonohira. We broke away from the conventional Japanese belief that grapes had to be grown on trellises, and instead used the French style of vertical shoot positioning. This marked a new direction for grape cultivation.

Vertical shoot positioning and
trellis cultivation in Hokushin

By now, the Château Mercian range had evolved to the point where it won gold medals in a number of famous international wine competitions. It was now time to pioneer the creation of wines that express Japan's climate and natural features. To further develop the brand, we started vertical shoot positioning cultivation of Chardonnay in the Hokushin District of Nagano Prefecture in the 1990s. This period also saw the introduction of measures to increase quality, such as limiting harvest volumes and increased cultivation density through adoption of spur pruning in trellis cultivation.

With Paul Pontallier of Château Margaux acting as advisor, the quality of iconic single-vineyard wines such as "Kikyogahara", "Jyonohira" and "Mariko" improved in leaps and bounds. Based on the teaching that "great wines are elegance itself", the company learned the intensity and passion of winemaking.

Koshu wine,
"Château Mercian Koshu Kiiroka 2004"
was released.

Start of joint research with Takatoshi Tominaga, who worked with Denis Dubourdieu at the University of Bordeaux, to draw out the hidden citrus aroma of the Koshu grape variety discovered in 2003. The collaboration resulted in the release of "Koshu Kiiroka 2004" in 2005. A new category of aromatic Koshu wine was born.

Katsunuma Winery renovated

New winery in the Katsunuma area of Yamanashi Prefecture opens, combining active winemaking activities with a visitor center, exhibits, tasting café and vineyard. The many visitors get an opportunity to explore the charms of wine and experience its history and traditions.

Opening of the Kikyogahara Winery

Château Mercian Kikyogahara Winery opens in Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture. New facilities were created on the site of the Shiojiri branch of the Daikoku Budoshu Company (which later became Mercian). The exterior of the historic 1938 building was retained while the inside was renovated. The "garage winery" operating in this tiny space specialises in the production of top quality wines, including the iconic Château Mercian Kikyogahara Merlot Signature range, Kikyogahara Merlot, and Kikyogahara Merlot Rosé (winery exclusive).

Mariko Winery opened

We opened its own managed vineyard, the Mariko Vineyard, on the Jinba plateau in the Maruko district of Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, which has grown to produce wines that are highly acclaimed in Japan and abroad. 16 years later, in September 2019, On a small hill in the Mariko Vineyard, Chateau Mercian Mariko Winery opened as the first winery in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture. Surrounded by a vast vineyard of approximately 30 ha, the winery is a fascinating place where everything from growing grape to vinification takes place. It aims to coexist with the region and the future while producing high quality wine.

Château Mercian Wine Museum is
recognised as a cultural
property of Japanese Heritage

In 2020, "the 140-year history of Japanese wine - Wine that is made using Japanese grape is the fruit of Japanese rich culture" was recognised as a Japanese Heritage Site by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and the Château Mercian Wine Museum and its collection were also recognised as a cultural property. The Château Mercian Wine Museum underwent partial renovation in the summer of 2020, and the exhibition content has been renewed and opened to the public with bilingual notation.

Watch the video for more information (Japanese Heritage video)

"Château Mercian Mariko Winery" selected for the second consecutive year

Château Mercian Mariko Winery was ranked 30th in the world and Best in Asia in the World's Best Vineyards 2020, which selects the world's best wineries involved in wine tourism. The following year, in 2021, the winery was also the only Japanese winery to be ranked 33rd in the world, making it the second consecutive year it has been selected. Under the slogan "Japan recognized as one of the world's foremost wine regions", we will continue to promote Japan as a wine-growing region to the rest of the world.