EASY TRIPS
Housui Winery is open daily except for
Wednesdays from January to March.
Reservations are necessary to tour the
winery or field. The cellar is well stocked
and tasting sessions can also be arranged
(housui-winery.co.jp).This Valentine’s Day, plan a couple’s getaway to one of these romantic
wineries in the region for an intimate wine tasting session
MAKE IT HAPPENHokkaido
This northern prefecture may be better known for its abundance of seafood
and dairy but wine production in Hokkaido has been around since the 1960s.
Although considerably still a young wine-producing region, a number of
Hokkaido wineries have won international accolades and many restaurants in
the area are beginning to serve local wine to be paired with Hokkaido’s fresh
cuisine. The Sorachi district in Hokkaido in particular experiences similar
weather and soil conditions of various wine-growing regions in France.
Housui Winery is one of the more established wineries in Hokkaido with its
own vineyard that plants a variety of grapes, including Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay varieties. On a tour here, visitors can sample the Yuki no Keifu
series of premium wines that are completely made with grapes harvested from
its own vineyard. In summer, a specialty ice cream is served where its syrup
topping is made from the discarded grape skins after wine production
(alcohol-free so kids can have some too).Satiating the thirst for wine
PHOTOGRAPHS:HOUSUI WINERY