Chitose Winery is a boutique Hokkaido wine producer based in the Chitose area of the island, producing wines from the Kimura Vineyard and other contracted sites using varieties carefully selected for their suitability to Hokkaido’s cool, continental growing conditions. The Kerner variety, a German crossing of Trollinger and Riesling developed in the 1960s and widely planted in the cooler regions of Germany and northern Italy, has found a natural home in Hokkaido’s cool climate, producing wines of good aromatic freshness, moderate alcohol and the mineral precision that the volcanic and mineral-rich soils of the island provide. Kerner’s combination of Riesling-like aromatic character with Trollinger’s natural cold hardiness makes it one of the most practical and expressive white varieties for Hokkaido’s demanding climate, and the Kimura Vineyard’s specific site provides conditions of unusual consistency for the variety’s cultivation.

Chitose Winery’s approach to Kerner production, as a non-vintage expression, involves the blending of base vintages to achieve a consistent style that prioritises freshness, aromatic clarity and the mineral character of the Kimura Vineyard’s specific soil profile. This non-vintage philosophy, unusual for a still white wine, reflects the winery’s commitment to consistency and its understanding that Hokkaido’s variable growing seasons require the flexibility of multi-vintage blending to achieve the most reliable expression of the Kimura Vineyard’s best character across different conditions.

Chitose Winery’s Kimura Vineyard Kerner is one of the most individual and authentic expressions of Hokkaido white wine production from any small estate currently available outside Japan, providing collectors and enthusiasts who seek Japanese fine wine experience with a wine whose variety, terroir and philosophy are genuinely distinctive within the broader context of international cool-climate white wine production.

Pale gold with a fresh and mineral nose of white peach, lemon, elderflower, light grapefruit and the distinctive volcanic mineral freshness of Hokkaido’s cool-climate terroir. Medium-bodied with excellent natural acidity, clean and precise fruit character and a long, mineral, dry finish of individual character. Drink now through 2028.