With International Women’s Day approaching on 8 March, we would like to celebrate the women shaping Japanese wine today. Among them is a winemaker who spent two decades at Rubaiyat Winery, proudly represented in Germany by Weinkontor Sommer.

Women in Japanese wine

Women play a vital role in the Japanese wine industry, not only as consumers and winemakers, but also as professionals throughout the industry. Their presence continues to grow. The Japan Sommelier Association (JSA, ) reports that 43 per cent of its more than 30,000 qualified sommeliers are women. On the consumer side, 56 per cent of certified JSA Wine Experts are female.

Japan is also home to a national wine competition judged entirely by women: the Sakura Awards. Each year, nearly 4,000 wines from around the world are assessed by female sommeliers, producers, educators, journalists, importers, distributors and sales professionals.

Internationally, the French-based Féminalise competition, likewise judged exclusively by women, includes a dedicated Japanese section that coordinates entries, judging and promotion within Japan.

One of the country’s most respected wine authorities is Miyuki Katori, perhaps Japan’s equivalent to Jancis Robinson. She has authored several books on Japanese wine and works across the sector, from contributing to national statistics at government level to championing regional producers, particularly in Nagano.

In his book Japanese Wine, Nick Rowan identifies 68 of the 728 profiled wineries as female-led, whether founded, managed or directed by a woman winemaker. These figures highlight both progress made and the opportunity for further change.

Masako Anzo

One of the early pioneers was Masako Anzo, whose path into winemaking was far from straightforward. After graduating in fermentation science from the University of Yamanashi, she was advised by a professor that becoming a winemaker would be difficult for a woman. She initially joined a food company but left within a year to pursue her ambition.

She was later introduced to Rubaiyat Winery, where she built her career. In 1998 she made an initial attempt to establish herself independently. When her husband, head winemaker at Château Mercian, was sent to Bordeaux for training, she accompanied him and used the opportunity to deepen her expertise. During four years in France, she obtained the DUAD diploma in wine tasting from the University of Bordeaux before returning to Rubaiyat, where she continued for a further 17 years.

In 2000, she and her husband rented a vineyard in Manriki, planting Kōshū alongside European varieties. From 2005, she vinified small quantities at Rubaiyat initially for personal use. Encouraged to release the wines commercially under the Marufuji label, limited editions of “Manriki Blanc” and “Manriki Rouge” were produced in runs of just 500 to 1,000 bottles.

Following a period of illness, she resolved to establish her own winery. Despite the challenges of recovery and a global pandemic, she realised that ambition in 2022 with the opening of Cave an Winery.

Production remains small and the wines are not yet exported, but her journey represents the determination and resilience that have helped redefine the role of women in Japanese wine.

Supported by the investment of established producers such as Rubaiyat Winery and Château Mercian, and driven by individuals like Masako Anzo, Japan’s wine sector continues to evolve. It now encompasses both internationally recognised premium estates and small independent producers whose wines are rooted firmly in their local terroir.

Further female-produced wines in Weinkontor Sommer’s range

Moving further north to Hokkaidō, NIKI Hills Winery has been led by two female winemakers since opening in 2019. New Zealand-born Mariko Withrington, of Japanese heritage, works alongside chief winemaker Mamiko Ōta to shape the estate’s cool-climate style. Together they produce elegant expressions of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Kerner, including the fresh and aromatic “NIKI Hills Hatsuyuki”, a wine that captures the clarity and precision of Hokkaidō’s northern terroir.

From our range

Hatsuyuki 2024

Kerner from Hokkaidō, fresh, aromatic and defined by clarity and precision.

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At Fujiclair Winery, a new chapter has unfolded from the foundations of Fujicco. Hiroko Takano, formerly winemaker there, has since moved on to lead production at a new estate near Mount Fuji. Under the guidance of New Zealand consultant Theo Coles, Fujiclair has embraced a more minimal-intervention philosophy. Working alongside him is chief winemaker Riwa Sugio, continuing the company’s tradition of female-led winemaking.

Fujiclair’s “Ginka” highlights the potential of the indigenous Kōshū grape. Aged for six months on its lees to build texture and breadth, it retains the hallmark freshness and fine-boned minerality that define Yamanashi’s signature variety, offering both purity and quiet complexity in the glass.

From our range

Ginka 2022

Koshu with fine texture, quiet complexity and the characteristic minerality of Yamanashi.

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