Yoichi, Hokkaidō: A Growing Destination for Wine Lovers

Seven vintners took the stage to greet the crowd at the Yoichi wine event. (© Ukita Yasuyuki)

Soga Takahiko, who oversees both grape farming and winemaking at Domaine Takahiko. (© Ukita Yasuyuki)

The Nanatsumori vineyards at Domaine Takahiko. The observation deck is open to tourists. (© Ukita Yasuyuki)

The facade of Yoichi Loop. The restaurant is on the first floor. (© Ukita Yasuyuki)

Yoichi Loop’s head chef Narita Sekiya (left). At right is a dish with aromatic roasted Okhotsk mackerel over rice mixed with giant butterbur miso. The wine is Yoka Blush 2024, from Yoichi’s Yoka Winery. The three-varietal mix offers a complex yet delicate flavor. (© Ukita Yasuyuki)

Kihen, the only shop in the world serving glasses of Domaine Takahiko’s rare red wine O-Lie. That name comes from the Japanese for lees, ori, which are used in a secondary fermentation in this wine. (© Ukita Yasuyuki)

The wine cellar beneath Kisin. (© Ukita Yasuyuki)

A living and dining space in the Kisin condominiums. The huge windows offer a view of the local vineyard scenery. (© Ukita Yasuyuki)

Mayor Saitō Keisuke is looking to wine to be the heart of regional revitalization. (© Ukita Yasuyuki)

A view of Yoichi and Cape Shiripa from the vineyards at the Nakai Kankō Nōen tourist farm. (© Ukita Yasuyuki)