A Long-Established Yamagata Winery: Visiting Takeda Winery

Located at the foot of the Zao Mountain Range in Yamagata Prefecture, near Kaminoyama Onsen,Takeda Winery.
Its history is long, said to date back to the Taisho era. The current president, Noriko Kishihira, is the 5th generation head.

This time, we spoke with Kazuhiro Kishihira, Senior Managing Director, about the charm of the historic Takeda Winery.

When thinking of Takeda Winery, many wine lovers probably recall "Cuvée Yoshiko."

In 1989, Takeda Winery succeeded in producing Japan's first authentic, so-called champagne-style wine.
It was namedDomaine Takeda "Cuvée Yoshiko", and is now a rare wine that is difficult to obtain.

When we visited for this interview, I naturally asked, "Please let us taste Cuvée Yoshiko!" but Senior Managing Director Kishihira naturally replied, "We do not have any available."
Desperate to try it, I left Takeda Winery saying, "I'll go home praying that it's included among the other sample wines you'll send later!"

Then, a few weeks later, among the other wines that arrived, the phantom Cuvée Yoshiko was actually included! What a thrill.
It was an amazing sparkling wine that would be no exaggeration to call "Japan's Champagne," with a gentle, uniquely Japanese mouthfeel, yet a firm body and texture!

Yamagata Prefecture's veteran powerhouse, Takeda Winery.
Throughout the winery where you can feel its history, I felt a somewhat nostalgic and gentle atmosphere.

In the coming season, the area around Takeda Winery is a very fun place to visit, whether driving around or riding the ropeway.

When you travel in that direction, please be sure to stop by Takeda Winery as well!