No. 505 Hiroshima Winery
no.505 ヒロシマワイナリー
Hiroshima, Mihara, Japan
Hiroshima's first dedicated natural-wine winery, no.505 was opened on May 5, 2024 by Shingo Otō, a former Tokyo fashion-event director who'd been pouring natural wine at his Tokyo shop no.501 since December 2016. The name comes from biodynamics: no.505 is the preparation of oak bark packed in a cow's skull, and the shop takes its number from the same series. The winery opened on 5 May to match. The estate sits at 420 meters on a plateau in Mihara's Yamato-cho, fifteen minutes from Hiroshima Airport, on family land Otō began experimenting with grapes nearly a decade before bottling here. Head winemaker Toshihide Arai joined from a cellar in neighboring Okayama; production manager Mayumi Yuguchi came west with the project from the Tokyo shop. What sets no.505 apart isn't only that it's the prefecture's first natural cellar — it's the choice of fruit. Otō and Arai work mostly with Japanese table-grape varieties (Shine Muscat, Delaware, Aki Queen, Tenshu, Fujiminori, Pione, Niagara) farmed without chemicals, hand-picked berry by berry by ripeness, and fermented only on wild yeast with no added SO2. The wines are bottled under names that read like postcards from a Hiroshima living room — Blue Pickup Truck, Yes Backflip, Terrible-Twos Phase, Midori-chan, the dialect particle Jaro — and the project's whole reason for being, in Otō's telling, is to make natural wine feel less reverent and more reachable. In November 2024 no.505 was the only Japanese exhibitor at RAW WINE in New York and Toronto.
Winemaking Philosophy
At a Glance
2024
Founded
1 ha
Hectares
Region
Hiroshima, Mihara, Japan
Grapes
Shine Muscat, Delaware, Aki Queen, Tenshu, Fujiminori, Takatsuma +4 more
Farming
Organic / natural farming on roughly 1 hectare at 420m elevation in Mihara's Yamato-cho, near Hiroshima Airport.
Harvest
Hand harvest, individual berry selection by ripeness.
On the map
No. 505 Hiroshima Winery — Mihara, Hiroshima
View full map →Available Now (3)
Can you reach them? Unreachable
2023 · Sparkling · Rose · 9.5%
Blend (Aki Queen / Black Beat / Tenshu)
From No.505, Hiroshima's first natural winery — a sparkling rosé blend of Aki Queen, Black Beat and Tenshu, made in a playful, expressive style. A characterful pét-nat-style pink from a cellar that opened in May 2024. Aromas of fresh grapes with violet notes. Flavors of strawberry and berry. It captures the winery's philosophy perfectly: "Are you talking about good wine?" "Tawan, tawan." "Tawan is fine, as long as it's good." In Hiroshima dialect, "tau" means "to reach," and "tawan" means "not to reach." Express yourself without worrying about what others think, and you will be happy. Live true to your thoughts and your heart. It is important to enjoy the happiness you have now. Life is not something to compare, each has its own "goodness." Find the "goodness" of this wine.
Organically grown in the estate's own vineyards, with only the ripest grapes selected from each bunch. Hand-picked and hand-destemmed, then fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks, macerating for 29 days before being lightly pressed with a balloon press. Left to rest for one day before bottling — about 30 days from tank to bottle in total.
Midori-chan
2024 · Still · Red · 10%
Muscat Bailey A
A characterful bottling from No.505, Hiroshima's first natural winery, made in the estate's expressive, low-intervention style — a fun, personality-driven wine from a producer to watch. Aromas of strawberry jam and dried figs, layered with woody notes. Gentle acidity carries flavors of pomegranate, gooseberry, red cherry and rosehip, with a toasty, earthy, woody finish that lingers. Smooth and easy to drink. Meet "Midori-chan," born from an encounter with a girl. This wine is made using grapes carefully cultivated at a disability support facility in Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. The wine comes without a label, but with a letter. "Delivering Feelings, Letter Wine" This letter is from a facility user who grows the grapes. After enjoying the wine, please write down your thoughts or any feelings you'd like to share on the letter — we'll make sure it reaches the facility. When the facility users read the letter you wrote, mutual understanding will grow, fostering a rich sensitivity. Furthermore, as your feelings reach them, the facility users will pour even more love into their grape cultivation, and we firmly believe this will lead to the creation of truly delicious wine.
Made with 100% Muscat Bailey A grapes cultivated by the residents of Midori no Machi Social Welfare Support Facility. 33% destemmed by hand, 67% whole clusters underwent 24 days of carbonic maceration. After 3 days of extraction, pressed using a basket press. Fermented and aged in used barrels for about 10 months.
Dad
2023 · Still · Red · 10.5%
Blend (Black Beat / Fujiminori / Pione)
'Dad.' (お父さん) is a No.505 collaboration with Fattoria al Fiore in Miyagi, a carbonic-fermented red blend of Black Beat, Fujiminori and Pione. Perfumed and lively, with violets, black cherry, peony and a touch of sandalwood over a sappy, natural-red frame. Cherry-like acidity and sweetness with light tannins make it easy to drink. ・He is truly happy when something good happens ・He gives advice as a senior in life ・He helps me at all times I want to see your happy face — a "dependable presence," my father. He teaches me right from wrong, not with words, but through action — and that's where real independence comes from. This is a wine to drink with such a father. Never forget how precious this limited time together truly is.
Organically grown in the estate's own vineyards, with only the ripest grapes selected from each bunch. The grapes are hand-destemmed and placed in tanks for carbonic maceration — first for 17 days in polyethylene tanks, then combined into one stainless steel tank for a further 17 days. After pressing, the wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks for about 4 months without racking.