Grace Wine
A four-generation Yamanashi family — and the first Japanese winery to win Decanter Gold for Koshu
The Producer
Grace Wine traces back to 1923, when Chotarō Misawa founded Chūō Budōshu in Katsunuma, Yamanashi. The company changed names through generations but the family stewardship remained. Today Grace Wine is led by fourth-generation Shigekazu Misawa, with his daughter Ayana Misawa serving as head of viticulture and winemaking since 2008, after she trained in Bordeaux, Stellenbosch, and the Loire.
The estate’s reputation rests on its Koshu program. Grace pioneered single-vineyard estate Koshu in Yamanashi, planting Koshu vines on properly drained hillside sites at altitude (400–700m) rather than on the flat valley floor where the variety had historically been grown for table fruit. The result: Koshu wines with structure, length, and aging potential well beyond the variety’s 1980s-style aperitif identity.
Vineyards
Grace’s vineyards are spread across four Yamanashi sites:
- Akeno (北斗市) — western Kofu Basin, 600–700m, the source of the prestige Cuvée Misawa Koshu
- Kayagatake (茂ヶ岳) — northwest hillside
- Toriibira (鳥居平) — northeast Kofu Basin
- Hishiyama (菱山) — northeast hillside
Key Wines
- Cuvée Misawa Akeno Koshu — the flagship; 98 points at Decanter World Wine Awards 2017 for the 2016 vintage
- Koshu Misawa Vineyard — the standard estate Koshu, sur lie aged
- Kayagatake Koshu — mineral, cooler-site bottling
- Grace Koshu — the entry-level expression, classic sur lie style
- Pinot Noir — small-volume project at Akeno
Decanter Recognition
Grace was the first Japanese winery to win a Gold medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Ayana Misawa’s 2016 Cuvée Misawa Akeno scored 98 points. The recognition repositioned Koshu in international wine circles — from "interesting Japanese curiosity" to "wine that competes seriously with the world’s best whites."
Why It Matters
Grace is the producer that proved Koshu could be a fine-wine category, not just a regional specialty. The combination of multigenerational family stewardship, methodical vineyard site selection, classical training applied to a Japanese variety, and international recognition has made it the reference point against which all serious Koshu is now measured.
Details
- Founded: 1923 (originally Chūō Budōshu)
- Location: Katsunuma, Koshu City, Yamanashi
- Current leader: Shigekazu Misawa (4th gen); Ayana Misawa (head winemaker, since 2008)
- Signature wine: Cuvée Misawa Akeno Koshu
- Notable recognition: First Japanese Decanter Gold; 98 pts DWWA 2017