Tokyo has already announced the start of cherry-blossom season, and you may be planning hanami from this weekend. The crowds at famous cherry-blossom spots are certainly part of the classic hanami experience. But this year, why not travel a little farther to Yamanashi and enjoy cherry blossoms at a winery, surrounded by nature with a glass of rosé while experiencing spring with all five senses?
Suntory Tomi no Oka Winery has fully launched a new seasonal program that lets visitors experience wine and nature throughout the year.
The current spring-only program is the “Spring Rosé Wine Fair.”
Here is what the fair offers.
A New Way to Taste the Vineyard and the Season: Spring-Only “Spring Winery Walk Tour”
The “Spring Winery Walk Tour” is a 40-minute guided experience in which guests actually stroll through the vineyard, feeling the soil beneath their feet and noticing birdsong, spring flowers, the sound of the wind and signs of wildlife—truly experiencing the terroir of the place—before finishing with a rosé tasting right there.
Tasting rosé beneath a cherry tree in the vineyard is a special experience available only at this time of year. The charming cherry-pink rosé served here is “Tomi no Oka Rosé 2024,” made entirely from estate-grown Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Its aromas of tart red fruits such as sour cherry, raspberry and acerola are perfectly suited to enjoying beneath the blossoms in the refreshing spring breeze.
Winery tours may often bring to mind vineyards from summer through autumn, when grapes are on the vines, but vineyard work of course continues throughout the year in step with the vines’ growth cycle. At this time of year, visitors can see work such as tying down canes after pruning and bud-notching up close. One particularly unusual feature here is Koshu cultivated using vertical trellising.
A refreshing early-summer Koshu fair is also planned for summer, offering a chance to taste this very Koshu. The program is designed to let visitors experience the seasons throughout the year.
Compare Three Rosés with the “Spring Rosé Wine Flight”
After walking through the vineyard, the “Spring Rosé Wine Flight” at the winery shop counter is recommended, offering three different rosé wines.
・Tomi no Oka Rosé 2024 ・Wine no Mirai Tomi no Oka Winery Late Summer Harvest Rosé 2022 ・Wine no Mirai Tomi no Oka Winery Maceration Rosé 2022
The rare opportunity to taste three rosés with distinct personalities side by side feels especially fitting during cherry-blossom season.
On Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, a limited-quantity “Spring Marriage Plate” of snacks selected to pair well with the wines is also available.
Next Seasonal Theme: Koshu
As mentioned above, this seasonal experience program will move from spring rosé to a Koshu-themed program in early summer.
Timed to the vigorous leaf-growth season, the next program will highlight the appeal of refreshing white wine.
The vineyard landscape changes throughout the year. By visiting in spring and again in early summer, guests can feel the changes in the grapes, air and wind for themselves.
How about an experience that goes beyond simply “drinking wine” to “tasting the seasons”?
“Spring Rosé Wine Fair,” March 14–April 27, 2026 See the winery website for details and tour reservations.
https://www.suntory.co.jp/factory/tominooka/news/detail/2026_rose.html