If you’ve wondered why Japanese wines never quite seemed to hit the mark in the past, you’re not alone. In our exploration of the local wine scene, we discovered that most of the wineries that we consider to be exceptional only came into existence in the later part of the 2000s. Given the amount of time needed for vineyards to mature and for the resultant wines to complete their élevage, it’s not surprising that the best examples from this Japanese wine renaissance only began appearing on winelovers’ radar a few short years ago.

Some of these winemakers were doubtless inspired by their personal experiences with natural wine, which had become more visible as a movement around the turn of the millennium. Japanese consumers embraced natural wines early on, and Japan is now one of the world’s largest export markets for vin nature. Many of the most compelling Japanese wineries today have now adopted minimal-intervention principles, tweaked according to their own individual approaches.

One such winery is the eponymous Fujimaru, founded by Tomofumi Fujimaru (pictured below).

Fujimaru-san’s project didn’t start out as a winery. When he founded his company in Osaka in 2006, it was with the goal of operating a wine retail and distribution business. The outfit’s mission was simply to represent an interesting range of local wines, and have its professional staff assist clients with wine recommendations.

It was not long before Fujimaru-san discovered that the Osaka area actually had a history of over 120 years of grape growing. But with rapid urbanisation in progress, the vineyards were fast disappearing. Fujimaru-san felt the urge to preserve this important aspect of local heritage, so in 2010 he began to cultivate grapes on an abandoned farm in Kashiwara City, Osaka Prefecture. His focus was on the Delaware variety, which had been cultivated in the local area for many years. The vineyards soon grew to over 2 hectares.

The resulting wines were an instant hit, and this encouraged Fujimaru-san to consider expanding. His small company, however, did not have the resources to purchase and run additional vineyards. Nevertheless, his success started to convince many Japanese grape farmers that growing local grapes to make wine might in fact be feasible. This happy news spread quickly, attracting long-time landowners — some from as far away as eastern Japan — who eagerly offered to collaborate with him. 

With so many enthusiastic grape farmers suddenly at his disposal, Fujimaru-san began buying grapes only from trusted farmers who met his stringent criteria. Both for his owned vineyards as well as contracted vineyards, he follows a viticultural philosophy of lutte raisonnée — no chemicals are used unless absolutely necessary. He started first with the Osaka area, but before long, he had amassed interest from dedicated farmers on the eastern side of Japan. Thus he decided to set up another winery in the Tokyo area in order to vinify their grapes too.

The Fujimaru urban winery in Kiyosumi, Tokyo. Both the Tokyo outpost and the original urban winery in Osaka are multi-concept spaces which each house a bar/tasting room and a casual restaurant.

This passionate, dynamic man has now evolved his enterprise to encompass nearly the full chain of the wine industry — he is a vineyard manager, winemaker, negociant, wine distributor, wine shop proprietor, and restaurateur all rolled into one. With two wineries in Osaka and Tokyo, the name Fujimaru has now become synonymous with the concept of urban winery in Japan, and the human-grape connection grows ever stronger.

Fujimaru-san firmly believes that wine is one of life’s daily necessities (indeed, the front label of his Cuvée Papilles sports the mantra “No Wine No Life” ). He wants to make wine that is accessible as a daily beverage — a bottle on the table every night. But the wine must also be suitable for accompanying the delicate flavours of Japanese cuisine. Thus, brash, bombastic wines will never be found in the Fujimaru stable.

To anyone who is immersed in the burgeoning Japanese wine scene, a bottle of Fujimaru wine is instantly recognisable. But with a total of just 35,000 bottles produced a year, and a thirsty domestic market ready to pounce on whatever is produced, it is little wonder none of it has ever been exported.

Well, at least not until now.

Say hello to notable local grapes such as the aromatic Delaware for the whites and the cool-fruited Muscat Bailey A for the reds. Here, even Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have acquired an unmistakable local accent growing on these soils: more open-knit, delicate and, yes, Japanese-food friendly. With these wines, it is indeed dangerously easy to end up with a bottle on the table every night. 

This offer is valid until 5 August 2020. Orders will be processed subject to remaining availability and final written confirmation. Full payment is required no later than 7 days after confirmation invoice is sent in order to confirm the purchase. All terms and conditions apply.