Sparkling wine "Kepiw" 2020/5★, priced at 600 yen. Located inside the Yoyichi Winery, there are three facilities: a restaurant, soft serve ice cream, and a wine shop. You can earn a lot of money here. It was a hot day, so I was in the mood for a refreshing sparkling wine. The 2019 "Kapiu" has a fruity and refreshing taste, with two options available in half bottles - white and sparkling, both priced at 600 yen, which is very affordable. The wine has a moderate acidity and strong carbonation, with a prominent Niagara aroma and a fruity taste that goes down smoothly. I can drink it easily. Thank you for the meal!

I don't really like domestic wine, especially local products, which I am even more critical of. I know I shouldn't say things like that, but I'm sorry. I will come to Yashiki Winery as it was decided by my wife. Please don't complain to me. It's in Yoichi, not Iwanai. I will stop by the shop since there is a registration. "I can't afford expensive things," my wife doesn't drink much local wine either, so she chose apple juice. The staff at the shop checked us out before the customer who had bought 10 items. I apologized to the previous customer, and the wife, who had been sullen until then, smiled and said, "It's okay." The pottery items were all lovely, but the prices were also lovely, so I couldn't even touch them. It was a one-man show by the old man. The apple juice was just as I suspected...apple juice. Well, it's a luxury taste, rich and not too sweet. I'm not sure if it's just the natural sweetness of the ingredients or not, but it doesn't feel like it's been added. It's delicious. You can drink it if you drink it, and you can eat fruit if you eat it. But it's becoming something that's not so easy to get your hands on.

A year later, I revisited the Yoichi Winery, which opened on the premises of the Yoichi Winery in 2011. You can also take a factory tour. Within the spacious grounds, in addition to this wine shop, there is a winery restaurant, a cafe & bakery where you can enjoy Niagara soft serve ice cream, and an art gallery featuring mainly artists from Hokkaido, all lined up with a unified woody image. It's a shame that it's still not crowded. The Niagara white wine made from Yoichi grapes that I purchased last year was delicious, so I tried to purchase different types of "Niagara" at the store after returning home, but I couldn't find the unique fruity freshness, so I came back again. However, the Niagara harvested last year was already sold out. (*_*; It seems that the new batch will be available in about 5 months. What a pity (+_+) I'll check the online shop around that time. So, I purchased the following limited edition wines: - Yoichi Wine Kerner Sur Lie 2972 yen Made from 100% Kerner grapes grown in Yoichi. Named after the Sur Lie method, where the sediment is naturally settled over time, leaving only the top layer. It is left at low temperatures for a long time, allowing the amino acids from the yeast to dissolve, creating depth and breadth. It has a fruity yet gentle acidity. By the way, I also stopped by the Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery afterwards, but it was completely different. Several large tour buses arrived, and the shop was bustling with people lining up at the register. It was so contrasting, so if you visit the whisky distillery, be sure to visit the nearby winery as well. You can also enjoy various wine tastings. Thank you for the meal.

While eating soba in Otaru, my wife suddenly said she wanted to go to Yoichi Winery. I didn't really feel like driving there, but I couldn't say no. We visited the factory and did some shopping at the shop. My wife bought plum wine, even though it's a winery (laughs). Since I couldn't do any tasting, I decided to buy a small bottle of Elm Castle wine for some memories. It cost 753 yen (360ml) and is a blend of Yoichi and Chilean wines. We drank it during dinner the next day. It was light, sweet, and had a good acidity. Overall, it was a delicious wine. Looking forward to tasting more wines next time with my son driving.

I visited the winery 4 and a half years ago to purchase some souvenirs. The facility was impressive and had a restaurant. I bought a Muratulugau or Kerner for around 3000 yen as a gift, and a Niagara for myself for about 1000 yen. The Niagara is very sweet, but the fresh sweetness of the grape skin is addicting.

"From the cafe at the Yoichi Winery, we moved on to the wine shop. It's a separate building with a spacious interior featuring a woody decor. They use grapes from the relatively warm climate of Yoichi in Hokkaido to make their wines, all crafted right here in Yoichi. There was a surprisingly wide variety of wines neatly displayed in an orderly fashion. Even the Niagara grapes used in the Niagara soft serve we had earlier were showcased here. They even had sparkling wines available. Although I was tempted by the winery-exclusive white wine "Bacchus," I ultimately decided to go with the Yoichi Wine "Niagara" (720ml) for 1,848 yen. It had a lovely fragrance unique to Niagara grapes, and the taste was fruity, refreshing, and elegant. With a decent amount of sweetness, it's perfect as a dessert wine, even for those who aren't big on alcohol (laughs). I didn't know this at the time of my visit, but according to reviews, you can sample wines other than the sparkling variety here. It might be fun to try out different types. The winery is surrounded by vineyards, where delicate hand-picking of grapes takes place during harvest season. While Yoichi wines may not be widely known yet, I could feel the passion of the producers, and I found myself wanting to support them. Additionally, the shop also had familiar Hokkaido products like the local sake "Chitose Tsuru" and miso paste from "Kotobuki Miso." Checking their website, I learned that the company behind this, Nihon Seishu, also offers these products. It was news to me. We didn't dine at the other restaurant building, but I heard they use Hokkaido-sourced ingredients and have received good reviews for their dishes. I'd like to visit there if I have the chance. Thank you for the wonderful experience."

On the third Saturday of June, we arrived at Yoichi Winery. The place was quite spacious and had various facilities like a restaurant, gallery, cafe, bakery, winery factory, dog run, and a wine shop. We explored the area, visited the winery factory, and then decided to check out the wine shop. To our surprise, besides Yoichi wines, they also sold local products like sake lees, miso, fruit juices, glassware, pottery, and more. We ended up buying a limited edition white wine called Bacchus and a compact wine opener. The Bacchus wine had a fruity aroma and a slightly sweet taste, which my wife enjoyed. It was easy to drink and had a 12% alcohol content. Overall, Yoichi Winery's commitment to using locally grown grapes and producing "local wines" was admirable. The unique charm of Hokkaido wines was evident in their products.

I visited a wine factory that wasn't in operation and then went to a wine shop with my wine-loving friends. The shop was very clean and had a lovely atmosphere. The staff said, "You can taste all the wines except for sparkling wine." After looking around the shop, we headed to the tasting corner in the center. We tried several wines, but they lacked depth and felt a bit bland. I remembered visiting wineries in Ikeda Town and Furano in Hokkaido 35 years ago. Back then, the town return wines that could only be purchased in Ikeda Town were a trend. Lastly, I tried a Niagara white wine. It was quite sweet but delicious. It reminded me of the first time I tried German wine. It was quite good and to my liking.

Seafood, fruit, whiskey, and wine town, Yoichi Town. It's just about a 1.5-hour drive from Sapporo if there's no traffic, making it an easy drive. I used to not drink much wine because I'm not good with alcohol, but after trying various Hokkaido wines, I've become a fan of Hokkaido wines. I remembered there was a winery in Yoichi, so when I passed by the area, I decided to stop by. "Yoichi Winery Wine Shop" opened in 2011 on the premises of the Yoichi Winery. It consists of five buildings: the Yoichi Winery factory, gallery/atelier, wine shop, restaurant, and cafe & bakery, with a dog run outside. Unfortunately, I arrived late in the evening, so the tour reception was already closed, but you can observe the wine-making process up close from brewing and aging to bottling at the factory. Next to the factory is the wine shop, where you can buy all the wines made at Yoichi Winery. Most of the wines are available for tasting, and it's free, so I tried a little bit of each. I ended up buying the Muraturgau for home use. The Niagara wine was also delicious, with a restrained sweetness compared to other Niagara wines I've tried. The staff were friendly and fun to talk to. Yoichi is known for its relatively warm climate, sea breeze, and being a famous fruit-producing region, making it an ideal place for winemaking. Yoichi Winery started selling wine in 1974 with the concept of growing quality grapes in Yoichi, making wine in Yoichi, and selling it in Yoichi. Despite not being as well-known as Otaru or Tokachi, Yoichi Winery is a hidden gem worth visiting. And I learned that the winery is actually run by Suntory's Chitosetsuru sake brewery, which was a surprise to me.

The food was delicious and the service was excellent. Highly recommended!

Niagara wine soft serve ice cream, truly a non-alcoholic soft serve ice cream.

This is a Yoichi wine. I don't drink much wine because I get really drunk, but tonight's dinner is Aqua Pazza, so I'll open it. Salute to Cookpat. It's a white wine. It's labeled as slightly sweet, but it doesn't taste that sweet. It has a fruity taste, but also feels a bit thin. With an alcohol content of 12%, you can easily get knocked out. As expected, I fell asleep without realizing it. It's not so bad to fall asleep with wine once in a while. Thank you for the meal.

From Sapporo to Shakotan, we made a stop at the Yoichi Winery on the way. Yoichi is known for its large temperature difference between day and night, making it a suitable place for growing high-quality grapes with high sugar content. The Yoichi Winery has a vast site with a factory tour route, a wine shop, a restaurant, a gallery, and a cafe & bakery shop where you can enjoy "Niagara" soft serve ice cream. The view makes you want to take a deep breath. Unlike the Nikka Whisky Distillery, it's usually not crowded, but on this day, there were no customers in sight due to the impact of the new coronavirus. Wine tasting of local wines was not available due to the pandemic. I was able to purchase my favorite "Niagara" wine, which was sold out last year. By the way, the Nikka Whisky Distillery requires advance reservations for tours due to the new virus situation. The "Niagara" wine costs 1,883 yen and has a refreshing, fruity taste with plenty of fruitiness. I have tried "Niagara" from different wineries in Hokkaido and Kanto, but this one is still the best. They are also known for their apple production in Yoichi, and the apple juice (Fuji, Hack 9) is rich and flavorful. Hack 9 is a cross between Fuji and Tsugaru apples, the first Hokkaido apple variety. It has a perfect balance of sweetness and refreshing acidity. Thank you for the delicious experience.

This is a souvenir I received from an acquaintance who went on a trip. It is a red wine from Otaru, Hokkaido. It is made by a sake brewery that also has a winery, restaurant, cafe, and bakery. I hope to visit there someday. The wine is well-balanced with sweetness and acidity, making it easy to drink. It was delicious and enjoyable. Thank you for the meal.