Katsunuma Koshu wins its first trophy at IWC 2026

A white wine made from Koshu, a grape variety native to Japan, has earned high praise at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2026, the international wine competition held in the UK. “Chan Mori Kankitsuka Katsunuma Koshu 2025”, a limited-quantity wine made by Morita Koshu Winery in Katsunuma, Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, scored 95 points and was chosen for the Japanese White Trophy, the top award in the Japanese white wine category. It is the first time the winery has received a trophy at the IWC. According to the company’s own research, this is the second time a Koshu wine has won this trophy, following the first in 2025, and the first time for a Koshu from Katsunuma.

A “Trophy” above the gold medal

The IWC is regarded as one of the most influential wine competitions in the world, in which an international panel of judges tastes wines submitted from many countries blind. Gold medals go to wines scoring 95 points or more, and trophies are chosen from among those gold-medal wines after several rounds of re-tasting. In other words, a trophy is an award given to only a very small number of wines. The judges praised the wine’s distinctive Koshu character, its powerful aromas, its lively lemon-like flavour, its hint of spice and its long finish. The winery says the award reflects the growing recognition of Yamanashi’s grape growers and of Japanese wine as a whole, including wines carrying the “GI Yamanashi” geographical indication.

Protecting a citrus aroma that is easily lost

Yamanashi Prefecture, to the west of Tokyo and spreading across the north side of Mount Fuji, is one of Japan’s leading wine regions. Koshu, a grape with a pale lilac skin, has been grown here for a very long time. This wine uses only Koshu grown in the Iwasaki district of Katsunuma, and 8,600 bottles were produced. The citrus aroma of Koshu is delicate and easily lost during cultivation and winemaking. The winery therefore works with its contract growers to manage the vineyards, chooses the harvest timing with great care, and has refined ways of keeping the wine away from oxygen during winemaking. The result is a clean, dry wine with fresh aromas of lemon and grapefruit and a crisp, tight acidity.

How to enjoy it in Europe

As this wine is a limited release of 8,600 bottles, it may be hard to find the same bottle in Europe. Even so, if you spot the words “Koshu” or “Yamanashi” in a wine shop or on a wine list, it is worth a try. It is best not to over-chill the bottle, and to drink it at a temperature where the aromas open up well. The winery recommends pairing it with dishes that let the ingredients speak for themselves, such as white fish carpaccio, raw oysters and salmon sauteed in lemon butter sauce. It should also go well with oysters from Zeeland in the Netherlands and white fish from the North Sea. If you like light white wines with clean acidity, try it alongside a Muscadet or an Albarino, and the understated, delicate character that is unique to Koshu will be easy to appreciate.

Sources: PR TIMES (Morita Koshu Winery), “Katsunuma Koshu’s first IWC Trophy”