Wine Festivals in Japan 2026

5 wine festivals, harvest celebrations, and food-and-wine events — with dates, tickets, and travel tips.

Worth Traveling For

Festivals worth planning a trip around.

18-19 Jul 2026Competition

Japan Wine Competition (Nihon Wine Concours)

Japan's most prestigious wine competition and accompanying public tasting festival, held in Kōshū, the heartland of Japanese winemaking in Yamanashi Prefecture. Over 700 wines from across Japan are judged, and the public tasting event allows visitors to sample award-winners alongside local food. The event has been instrumental in raising the profile of Japanese wine internationally.

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19-20 Sept 2026Tasting

Hokkaido Wine & Food Festival

Yoichi, Japan$2500-$50004K

Held in the Yoichi wine district outside Sapporo, this festival highlights Hokkaido's rapidly growing wine scene. Cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Kerner, and Zweigelt thrive in Hokkaido's terroir, often compared to Germany and Alsace. Local seafood pairings — uni, crab, and scallops — make this a unique gastronomic wine experience.

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2026 Festival Calendar

All 5 festivals organised by month.

May(1 festival)

Nihon Wine Matsuri

23-24 May 2026Tokyo, Japan

July(1 festival)

Japan Wine Competition (Nihon Wine Concours)

18-19 Jul 2026Kōshū, Japan

September(1 festival)

Hokkaido Wine & Food Festival

19-20 Sept 2026Yoichi, Japan

October(2 festivals)

Katsunuma Grape Festival (Budō Matsuri)

3-4 Oct 2026Katsunuma (Kōshū), Japan

Nagano Wine Summit (Nagano Wine Festa)

17-18 Oct 2026Nagano, Japan

Insider Tips for Japan Wine Festivals

Katsunuma Grape Festival (Budō Matsuri)

Book a private grape-picking tour with a small winery like Katsunuma Budou no Oka the day before the festival—you'll harvest and crush grapes that feed directly into their festival tastings, creating a hands-on experience most visitors miss. Arrive midweek if possible; the festival's final Saturday is overwhelmingly crowded with Tokyo day-trippers.

Japan Wine Competition (Nihon Wine Concours)

The award-winner tasting is the main draw, but book a private tasting with Château Mercian or Suntory Tomi no Oka beforehand—these producers' competition submissions reveal Japan's true quality tier, and the winemakers will discuss their competition strategy. Time your visit to overlap with Katsunuma Budou Matsuri (late October); you'll capture both Japan's harvest energy and its competitive excellence in one trip.

Nagano Wine Summit (Nagano Wine Festa)

Skip the main tasting hall and head directly to the Kikyōgahara producers—their cool-climate Pinot Noirs are gaining serious collector attention and rarely export. Time your visit for late September when autumn foliage peaks and wineries offer smaller, quieter tastings before the festival crowds arrive.

Nihon Wine Matsuri

Seek out Grace Wine and Lumiere Wine directly at the event—their Kōshū whites are Japan's best-kept secret and command cult prices in auctions. Arrive during the trade hour (usually 11am-1pm) when winemakers are most present and seminar lines are shortest.

Hokkaido Wine & Food Festival

Book a tasting at Domaine Takahata or Nikater directly before the festival—their Pinot Noirs from Yoichi's volcanic soil rival cool-climate producers worldwide but sell out quickly. Pair the festival with a side trip to Otaru's ramen houses; the umami notes complement Hokkaido's lean, mineral wines beautifully.

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