NEW REPORT PUBLISHED!! From Challenges to Potential: The Evolution of Hokkaido's Viticulture by Rikiya Ueno, 2023 Japanese Scholar
12/02/2025
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MEDIA RELEASE
13 February 2025
From Snow to Sauvignon: How Hokkaido's Wine Industry Can Thrive in a Changing Climate
"Hokkaido has the terroir and the potential to become a globally recognised wine region, But to get there, we need to embrace innovation, mechanisation, and collaboration--just like other leading cool-climate wine regions have done."
- Rikiya Ueno, 2023 Nuffield International Scholar
Rikiya, a 2023 Nuffield Scholar from Japan supported by Norinchukin Bank, has spent the past two years researching how Hokkaido's emerging wine industry can overcome its biggest challenges. Once considered too cold for viticulture, Hokkaido is now gaining recognition for its high-quality wine production, thanks to its cool climate, volcanic soils, and long daylight hours. Innovative techniques, such as snow burial to protect vines in winter, have allowed the successful cultivation of European grape varieties like Pinot Noir and Merlot, while native hybrid varieties like Yamasachi have added to its distinctive winemaking identity.
However, challenges remain. Climate change is reshaping the region's viticulture, accelerating ripening and altering rainfall patterns. Growers are also facing increased disease pressure and greater pest threats, forcing them to adapt quickly. Labour shortages, particularly for time-sensitive tasks such as harvesting and pruning, remain one of the most significant hurdles to industry expansion. Unlike major wine regions in Europe, New Zealand, and North America, Hokkaido lacks vineyard contracting services to ease the burden, while the high cost of mechanisation makes technology adoption difficult.
As part of his Nuffield research, Rikiya travelled to Germany, France, New Zealand, Canada, and Chile to investigate how other cool-climate wine regions are responding to similar challenges. Germany's precision vineyard technology has drastically reduced labour demands, while New Zealand's contractor model has proven effective in managing seasonal workforce shortages. In Burgundy, climate adaptation strategies such as late pruning and frost protection offer valuable insights for Hokkaido's emerging Pinot Noir producers.
His report identifies four key areas for improvement in Hokkaido's wine industry: increasing access to vineyard mechanisation, establishing vineyard contracting services, creating structured pathways for skilled labour, and providing greater education on climate-resilient viticulture.
"The potential is there," Rikiya says. "If Hokkaido's wine industry embraces these changes, it can develop a strong global reputation for premium cool-climate wines."
The full report is now available through Nuffield International.
