A toast to Hokkaido’s spectacular drinks list

Why wine, whisky, beer and sake lovers choose to quench their thirst in Japan’s north.

At the Maoi Distillery, in the town of Naganuma in Central Hokkaido, hops are being snipped from a tangle of vines with surgical precision and deposited into a big blue bucket. They will flavour not beer but a citrusy botanical gin.

On the tasting bench, with spectacular views over the Ishikari Plains, are the distillery’s first single malt whisky release, a sherry cask-aged apple brandy, a tart 1918 red wine made from wild mountain grapes, and a floral vermouth.

When it comes to liquid refreshment in Japan, you quickly learn to expect the unexpected.

Naganuma is about 30 minutes from New Chitose Airport and 50 minutes from Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo. The drive there is through fields of buckwheat, corn, wildflowers and cabbages the size of hot air balloons.

Japan has long lured travellers with its ancient history, amazing food and pop culture, but adding to the gloss is a growing reputation for fine wine and whisky along with sake, brandy, and creative directions in beer and gin. There are three craft gin distilleries in Hokkaido using home grown botanicals, wild herbs and sometimes seaweed.

Look out for the Hokkaido Martini. It’s a cocktail that introduces Benizakura “9148” gin and Maoi vermouth.

Hokkaido is Japan’s largest prefecture. Together with Mt Fuji and the ancient capital of Kyoto, the northern-most island ranks high on the country’s to-do list. Some 42.3 million tourists visited in Hokkaido in the 12 months to March 2023.

Hokkaido was formally designated a wine-making region in 2018. Grapes with high sugar content and organic acids are produced here. Low storage temperatures help preserve natural flavours.

With its cold climate and heavy snowfall, Hokkaido is well suited to German wine grapes. Impressive are Kerner, a crossbred varietal created from Riesling and Trollinger grapes, with an elegant flavour of white roses and aromatic herbs, and Lemberger, an earthy red wine with red-black cherry and pomegranate notes. 

The five grape varieties most used, however, are Koshu, Muscat Bailey A, Niagara, Concord and Delaware. Japanese wines are usually light and easy drinking, with either a distinct sweetness or a distinct umami flavour. They pair well with sashimi and tempura.

Hokkaido has a GI (Geographical Indication) system similar to that used in Europe. To earn the GI Hokkaido label, a wine must meet certain standards and adhere to set characteristics.

In recent years the international reputation of Japanese wine has been growing. Winemakers are winning awards and visitors to Japan’s winemaking regions can enjoy grape picking, winery or distillery tours and tastings.

Where to quench your thirst in Hokkaido

With various wineries and distilleries throughout Hokkaido, thirsty travellers are well-served. A road-trip in Central Hokkaido heading west from Sapporo to Yoichi and the Sea of Japan particularly provides a diverse sampler.

Maoi Distillery

Two years ago, the 13ha Maoi Distillery in Naganuma expanded and shifted its speciality from wine and spirits to whisky. Ninety per cent of the barley used in Maoi whisky comes from Hokkaido. If you can wait till 2026, reserve a 40-litre cask of its signature whisky for ¥550,000 (about A$5,500).

Kobayashi Sake Brewery

Known in Japan as nihonshu, sake comes in a range of flavour profiles and strengths and can be enjoyed hot, cold or at room temperature. In Kuriyama, by the Yubari River, is Kobayashi Sake Brewery, one of 17 sake breweries in Hokkaido, and the oldest.

Its cluster of 13 warehouses and buildings, along with rustic pieces of equipment that date from 1878, are heritage protected. Most of the 154,800 litres of sake produced here each year are sold locally. Kobayashi Sake Brewery’s trademarked brand is Kitanonishiki.

Visit the museum to find out about the first sake brewers, their work, and way of life. Refuel with hand-made soba noodles.

Housui Winery

On an early autumn day we look out to a hillside swathed in both new and old grape vines. Row upon row of old vines support glistening bunches of red Regent grapes that have the understated sweetness of blueberries. 

This pretty, red-roofed winery in Iwamizawa City produces wines that take advantage of snow dumps up to 2m. Grapes are grown from late spring to early winter.

Inside, we sample a refreshing rosé called Orangy Pink 2020, a blend of Portland grapes and Seibel grapes from local growers. It goes well with pineapple, suggests winery director Mikio Sugiyama.

Housui Winery picked up a Japan Wine Competition 2024 gold award for its Ricca Chardonnay 2023. The winery welcomes visitors from spring to autumn, during the grapes’ growing season. Take a tour of the winery, eat soft serve ice cream topped with homemade grape sauce.

Yoichi Distillery

Masataka Taketsuru, the first Japanese to master whisky making in Scotland, valued the climate and natural features of the north. The place chosen by Taketsuru for the Yoichi Distillery, Nikka Whisky’s first distillery, was located west of Otaru, at the base of the Shakotan Peninsula, surrounded by mountains on three sides and in many ways similar to the Highland in Scotland.

It had all the ingredients needed to produce Taketsuru’s ideal whisky: a cold climate with an appropriate humidity, crisp clean air and fresh water. The sea breeze gives a briny hint to Yoichi whisky. The first Nikka Whisky was released in 1940; Taketsuru manufactured apple juice to keep the wolf from the door in the interim.

The distillation process at Yoichi has remained traditional, in other words: direct coal-fired distillation that can be seen in action during a distillery tour. The bold and toasty burnt flavours of a Yoichi Single Malt are unique features of this distillation.

Niki Hills Winery

Six kilometres from Yoichi Distillery is Niki Hills Winery, a 33 hectare site less than 10 years old, incorporating a winery, vineyards, gardens of sunflowers and red bush roses, a restaurant, and accommodation.

The winemakers are two women, Asamiko Ota and Mariko Withrington. They use Kerner, Bacchus, Zweigeltrebe, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot grapes. Niki Hills’ flagship wine is a crisp, aromatic white called Hatsuyuki, 100% Kerner grapes.

Hokkaido Wine

Hokkaido Wine Co. is one of the largest wineries in the Hokkaido prefecture. It was founded in 1974 in Otaru City, so this year marks the 50^th anniversary. The winery produces around 2.5 million bottles of wine annually, mostly for the domestic market; it has some 300 vineyards under contract and advocates for collaborative and environmentally friendly winemaking.

Sapporo Beer Museum

Hokkaido is the birthplace of the Japanese beer industry. Sapporo beer, brewed since 1877, was introduced by Seibei Nakagawa who trained in Germany. In 2023, Sapporo Holdings posted revenue of more than ¥518 billion (A$5.3 billion).

Learn about Seibei Nakagawa’s journey at the Sapporo Beer Museum. Rest up at the Sapporo Beer Garden and order, along with a beer or two, the area’s signature mutton barbecue, jingisukan, named for Mongol conqueror and visionary, Genghis Khan.

Learn, too, that the toast equivalent to “Cheers!” in Japan is “Kanpai!”

https://en.visit-hokkaido.jp/

The writer was a guest of Hokkaido Tourism Organization.