Koshu Wine Valley

Koshu is both a place and a grape. The variety has grown in the Katsunuma basin for centuries - DNA work has established it as a Vitis vinifera with some wild Asian vine parentage, which came along the Silk Road from the Caucasus, and it was eaten as a table grape long before anyone made wine from it. Commercial winemaking began here in 1877 when two young men were sent to France to learn it. The grape is pink-skinned and low in aromatics, so for a long time it produced thin sweetish wine; the change came from the 1990s with lower yields, careful handling and sur lie ageing, and Koshu is now a dry, low-alcohol, delicate white with a slight bitterness - deliberately understated and a good match for Japanese food. About thirty wineries cluster in Katsunuma, most within walking or cycling distance of the station, and many are small enough that the winemaker pours.

What to look for

• A Silk Road grape - Koshu, brought from the Caucasus and eaten before it was pressed.
• An 1877 start - two young men sent to France to learn winemaking.
• A delicate dry white - low alcohol with a slight bitterness, made for Japanese food.
• Thirty wineries - clustered around one station and walkable or cycleable.

When to go

September to November for harvest and grape picking. A day.

Practical notes

Koshu is deliberately light and visitors expecting a full-bodied white are often underwhelmed. Some wineries need appointments. Drink-driving enforcement is strict - use the train and walk. Harvest weekends are busy.

Nearby

Kofu and Shosenkyo gorge are west; the Fuji Five Lakes are south.