The Japan Winery Awards 2026 have been announced.

The organisation awards ratings to domestic wineries based on the quality and consistency of their wines.

Rankings start at Connoisseur’s Wine (an honourable mention), increasing to 3-star (reliable, good quality wines), 4-star (some outstanding wines) and 5-star (outstanding wines).

Full details are available at: www.japan-winery-award.jp , including English results and links to the wineries.

This year there were 374 eligible wineries* of which 318 were awarded a rating, 37 more than in 2025 (with a few disappearing from the rankings**).

On first glance, not only the increased number of wineries receiving awards/ratings, but the number whose ratings have risen, is indicative of the ever-increasing quality of Japanese Wine (or “Japan wine” 日本ワイン as it is officially referred to in Japan).

It is no surprise to see 98wines awarded 5-stars, and I fully expect Domaine Yui to achieve the same in 2026 (although, admittedly, I was expecting to see them there this year).
An impressive entry from two Yamanashi wineries with female-winemakers, Cave an and Seven Cedars Winery which were awarded 4-star ratings in their first year on the list – testament to the quality of new wineries opening in Japan.
Some excellent wineries entering the 4-star ranks such as Takizawa Winery (Hokkaido) and Aperture Farm and Winery (Nagano) and well deserving promotions from CW to 3-star ratings from many wineries including Natan Wine (Tokushima) the story of the founder which I feature prominently in my book.

Since 2025 has seen a large number of new producers in Japan, once they achieve 3 years of consecutive production and have their own winery facility, they become eligible for inclusion in the award rankings. I expect to see a further jump in numbers in the coming years, and look forward to tracking the trend and enjoying their wines.

★★★★★

All previous 17 5-star wineries have retained their ranking, with Yamanashi’s 98wines deservingly upgraded from their previous 4-star ranking:

★★★★

76 wineries were rated 4-stars, up from 71 in 2025.
5 of these have risen one place from their previous 3-star rating, and two newcomers:

★★★

170 wineries were rated 3-stars vs 120 in 2025, including 31 upgraded since 2024 and 24 new entries:

5 others have risen to a 4-star rating.

CW

54 wineries received a Connoisseur’s Wine Award (an honourable mention) vs 73 in 2025 due to the many that rose to a 3-star ratings.

The new wineries to be included this year are:

3 wineries, previously CW-rated have disappeared from the rankings, one having closed in 2024.

Special Judge Award

Each year a guest judge selects a winery for an award. This year, the original author of the manga “Drops of God”, Yūki Kibayashi (writing under the name Tadashi Agi) was chosen, designating the award to:

Giò Hills (Nagano)

JAL

Additionally there were special categories for the JAL (Japan Airlines) Award: rising stars who are also expected to contribute to tourism:

Minami Sanriku Winery (Miyagi)
Belwood Vineyard (Yamagata)

*To be eligible, wineries must have been licenced and producing their own wines for at least 3 years. Any winery with several facilities is awarded a ranking as a group. Any winery that previously produced at a custom crush or another winery’s facilities, will be considered with the 3-year requirement starting from the time they started producing wine (regardless of which facility).

** Any discrepancies in the JWA published rankings, the ratings published in my book Japanese Wine, and downgraded wineries will be made available in the members are of the website restricted to readers already in possession of the book.

There are officially 519 licensed wine production facilities (“wineries”) in Japan in as of 1st January 2025 (the latest statistics from the National Tax Authority), with around 560 by the end of the year. There are however several shared wineries and consignment wineries. If we consider brands of wine to include a vineyard producing their wines at a friend’s winery, or under consignment,  or a négociant purchasing grapes to produce under consignment, this number of “producers” exceeds 730.

All of these and more are featured in my book, Japanese Wine.

For further updates and monthly newsletter on Japanese Wine and other lesser-known regions and grapes, sign up to our mailing list: