ワイン
ワイン
wain
= wine
ワイン is the Japanese word for wine, borrowed directly from the Portuguese vinho during the 16th century. While the word itself is a loanword, Japan has developed its own distinct wine culture — particularly in Yamanashi Prefecture and Hokkaido — producing wines that reflect uniquely Japanese terroir and craftsmanship.
ワイン refers to fermented grape wine in all its varieties: red (aka wain), white (shiro wain), rosé (roze wain), and sparkling (supākuringu wain). In everyday Japanese, the word appears without further qualification when the type is clear from context, much as in English. The term nihon wain (日本ワイン) specifically refers to wine produced in Japan using 100% domestically grown grapes — a legally defined category since 2018 that distinguishes it from kokusan wain (国産ワイン), which may be made from imported grape juice or concentrate.
Be aware of the distinction between nihon wain and kokusan wain — these are not interchangeable. Nihon wain is the stricter, premium designation (100% Japanese grapes), while kokusan wain simply means “domestically produced” and may include imported materials. When ordering at a restaurant, specifying aka, shiro, or roze before ワイン is the natural way to indicate color. Pairing ワイン with Japanese cuisine — especially washoku — has become a recognized culinary trend, so you may encounter phrases like washoku to wain no pearingu (和食とワインのペアリング) in restaurant settings.
Everyday use
赤ワインと白ワイン、どちらがよろしいですか？
Aka wain to shiro wain, dochira ga yoroshii desu ka?
Would you prefer red wine or white wine?
Casual / Social Media
山梨の甲州ワインをもらった！すごく飲みやすくて感動した。
Yamanashi no Kōshū wain wo moratta! Sugoku nomiyasukute kandō shita.
I got a bottle of Koshu wine from Yamanashi! It was so smooth — I was really impressed.
Formal / Cultural context
こちらのワイナリーでは、北海道産の葡萄を使った日本ワインを製造しております。
Kochira no wainarii de wa, Hokkaidō-san no budō wo tsukatta nihon wain wo seizō shite orimasu.
At this winery, we produce Japanese wine made from Hokkaido-grown grapes.
Yamanashi Prefecture, situated at the foot of Mount Fuji, is Japan’s most established wine-producing region. Its signature grape is Koshu (甲州), a pink-skinned variety with roots in Japan going back over 1,000 years. Koshu wine is characteristically light, dry, and subtly mineral — qualities that complement delicate Japanese dishes such as sashimi and tofu. In 2013, Koshu became the first Japanese grape variety registered with the Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV), signaling its recognition on the global stage.
Hokkaido has emerged as Japan’s second major wine region, with a cool continental climate that suits varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and the locally developed Kerner. Producers concentrated around towns such as Furano and Yoichi have gained international attention, and wine tourism to Hokkaido’s vineyards has grown steadily alongside the region’s broader reputation for premium agricultural products. The legal definition of nihon wain, introduced by the National Tax Agency in 2018, was partly driven by the desire of Yamanashi and Hokkaido producers to protect and distinguish their terroir-driven wines from cheaper blended products.