Villa d'Est Winery from the garden: Fall colors on the trees, grapes are off the vines (Photo: Joe Peters)

Villa d'Est Winery

Fine views, okay wine

Joe Peters   - 1 min read

Japan's wines have come a long ways since the only thing available on the shelves was Akadama Red, and Villa d'Est Winery is doing its bit to make inroads into Japan's wine culture. In my opinion, still not up to Napa, Sonoma, or Bordeaux standards, but drinkable. Although, at the price, one wouldn't want to drink it every day. That's one of the drawbacks of Japan's wines; production lots are small, which means prices are too high for the genral quality of the wines.

Still, it's a very pleasant place to visit. Have a stroll through the garden that overlooks the vineyard, which itself overlooks the distant mountain ranges. There's a decent cafe on the premises and parking is ample. Just remember, if you're driving, don't imbibe—Japan's drinking and driving laws apply to wine too!

Location:
6027, Kanou Tohmi-shi Nagano
Phone: 0268-63-7373
https://www.villadest.com/

Joe Peters

Joe Peters @joe.peters

I've spent 37 years living and working in Asia - 27 in Japan, 10 in Singapore, and 1.5 in Malaysia. After many years of managing, building, and developing companies in the insurance industry I am now the Managing Director of a recruiting company, I Search Worldwide K.K. (www.isearchworldwide.c...