Sadoya's new estate Chardonnay wins gold at the Japan Wine Competition

Sadoya Co., Ltd. (founded 1917), a winery in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, has won a gold medal in the “European Varieties, White” category of the Japan Wine Competition 2026 with its white wine “Liel Akeno Chardonnay 2025”. The grapes are Chardonnay grown at “Sadoya Farm Akeno”, the company’s own vineyard, which it acquired in January 2024. The wine, made from only the second harvest since the company took over the land, has thus earned high praise at one of the leading competitions for Japanese wine. Production is just 1,187 bottles.

Gold from a vineyard in its second year of ownership

Yamanashi Prefecture lies to the west of Tokyo and is known as the centre of Japanese winemaking. Akeno is a district in Hokuto, in the north of the prefecture. Besides Chardonnay, Sadoya grows European varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Pinot Noir on this farm. As the company is still exploring the character of the new vineyard, the people responsible for viticulture and winemaking shared information and checked the condition of the grapes as they went through the vinification. Sadoya regards this award not as a goal but as a step along the way. Going forward, it plans to record the condition of the grapes each year, identify which varieties suit this land, and refine both its cultivation and its winemaking.

The “Liel” series, which puts the place name on the label

“Japan Wine” means wine made in Japan exclusively from grapes grown in Japan. It is distinguished from wine made from imported grape juice and similar materials. In the world of Japanese wine, attention has recently turned not only to the grape variety but also to the region and vineyard where the grapes were grown. “Liel” is a series that follows exactly this trend: by putting the name of the place of origin on the label, it aims to make drinkers curious about the land itself. Since its foundation, Sadoya has valued grape growing suited to Japan’s climate and wine that can be enjoyed with food. Handling everything from cultivation to winemaking in its own vineyard takes that philosophy a step further.

For readers in Europe

At the time of the press release in July, this wine was on sale in Japan for 4,950 yen including tax. The only outlets named in the release are Sadoya’s wine boutique, its online shop and retailers in Japan, so there is hardly any chance of finding it in Europe. Still, the point worth noting is clear: Japanese wines with a place name such as “Akeno” on the label may gradually become more common. If you come across a Yamanashi Chardonnay in a specialist shop that stocks Japanese wine, one way to enjoy it is to compare it with Chardonnays from Burgundy and elsewhere in Europe. It can also be enjoyed with everyday meals, not only Japanese food.