Since its founding in 1909, Suntory Tomi no Oka Winery (Kai City, Yamanashi Prefecture) has been engaged in grape cultivation and winemaking. At the end of August, the winery completed construction of a new brewing facility, which was recently unveiled to the media. The winery has also renewed its tour program to further showcase the distinct craftsmanship born from its unique terroir, along with the appeal of the Japanese wine brand “SUNTORY FROM FARM.”
“For Suntory, wine represents our origin. We strive to reflect a uniquely Japanese sensibility in our craftsmanship, to highlight compatibility with Japanese cuisine. We present wine to the world as an expression of Japanese culture, to create a new Japanese wine culture and to clearly convey to our customers the story that has been carefully passed down through generations, now blossoming on the global stage,” explained Hiroshi Miyashita, General Manager of Suntory’s Japanese Wine Department.
With an investment of approximately 700 million yen and a year in construction, the “FROM FARM Brewing Facility” began full-scale operations this month. Its key feature is the ability to produce a wide range of base wines that bring out the individuality of each grape to the fullest.
The winery utilizes the distinctive characteristics of its complex terrain by dividing its vineyards into about 50 sections, cultivating grape varieties with differing traits using the most suitable methods for each plot.
The new brewing facility is equipped with 26 small-capacity thermal tanks that allow for highly sensitive temperature control, enabling small-lot and careful fermentation of grapes harvested at the optimal timing for each section.
“The new facility incorporates a range of equipment to achieve an even greater degree of ‘gentle handling,’ based on Suntory’s winemaking philosophy of treating grapes and wine with the utmost care,” said Kentaro Shinoda, Chief Winemaker of the winery.
“By minimizing stress on the grapes and tailoring the fermentation to each grape variety, while also reducing oxygen exposure during bottling, we can now produce wines of even higher quality.”
Among the new installations is a new press machine known as “PAI,” which applies uniform pressure quickly and evenly. By gently loosening grape skins with their own weight and cooling the juice immediately after pressing, the process prevents oxidation and yields a clean, pure must.
The facility also introduces a new grape transportation system employing a “gravity-flow” method that eliminates the use of pumps, thereby reducing physical stress on the fruit.
Refreshed Winery Tours
The renewed winery tour program begins on the 19th. Visitors can experience the craftsmanship, passion, and innovation of winemaking while enjoying the rich natural surroundings of the winery.
The premium tour, priced at 8,000 yen, takes guests around the vast vineyards by bus, with visits to scenic viewpoints and grape fields. Participants can observe actual winemaking processes up close in the new brewing facility and aging cellar, followed by a tasting of four wines.
“Until now, we hadn’t been able to fully showcase our winemaking process. But visitors can now experience firsthand how grapes grown in our own vineyards are skillfully crafted and matured over time into fine wine,” Miyashita noted.
