Hokkaido Niki-cho Wine Tourism: Winery tours and a hotel in a renovated historic building!

This small, husband-and-wife winery grows 13 varieties, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris.
They mix several varieties of grapes to create their own special wines.
The couple's love of wine led them to move to Niki-cho, where they began wine brewing at the winery in 2020.

The winery grows grapes with reduced use of pesticides and vinifies with natural yeast, producing 14,000 bottles per year.

On Saturdays and Sundays, le-reve-winery offers a cafe and winery tours with tastings (4,500 yen per person, reservation required / Japanese only).

On this occasion, a new sparkling wine was served that was second fermented with "wasanbon", a type of sugar traditionally produced instead of regular sugar.
Because wasanbon is a luxury product, few other wineries use wasanbon.
Mr. Honma said, "The use of wasanbon creates fine-grained foam”.

The cafe is also open on Saturdays and Sundays from May to September from 11:00am to 2:00pm.
Vegetables are mainly purchased from nearby farmers who grow their produce naturally, and it offers dishes that make you want to drink wine.

NIKI Hills Winery, which opened in July 2019, is Niki-cho's representative winery. With the concept of "delivering impression through the five senses," the winery produces wines that can only be made here in the rich nature of Niki-cho, Hokkaido.

Tastings (from 2,200 yen for a set of three different types of drinks) and light meals are offered at the adjoining restaurant.
Private 60-minute winery tours are also available four times a day (reservations required; same-day reservations also possible).
Reservations are a must for Aperçu, where you can enjoy lunch and dinner courses that make the most of the "four seasons" and "seasonality.
Of course, wine pairings are also available.

On the day we visited, a "Restaurant in the Vineyard" event was being held in collaboration with Hokkaido travel agency Coop Travel and NIKI Hills Winery (next event is undecided).
It was a wonderful event where a sommelier offered wine pairings while guests enjoyed a full course meal made with ingredients from around Niki-cho next to the vineyards.

As the town is known for its wine production, this shrine has wine motifs everywhere.
Even the lanterns and the chozuya (purification fountain) have wine motifs, making it a popular spot to visit on your way to visit wineries in Niki-cho.

OMO5 Otaru by Hoshino Resort, opened in January 2022 in Otaru, famous for its canal, is a recommended hotel convenient for sightseeing in Otaru and visiting wineries in Niki-cho.

OMO5 Otaru by Hoshino Resort consists of two buildings: the South Wing, renovated from the "Former Otaru Chamber of Commerce and Industry", a historical building designated by Otaru City that was built at that time, and the North Wing, designed for functionality and design.
It is conveniently located near the canal, which is a must-visit for sightseeing in Otaru.

This restaurant was renovated from the former Otaru Chamber of Commerce and Industry's large conference room.
The restaurant offers a menu with a Spanish twist.
Otaru is a town that prospered from herring fishing in the past, and paella with herring is recommended for dinner.

How was the introduction of Niki-cho?
Hokkaido has become a major wine-producing region in Japan, and its fans are expanding.
Why not try a winery tour when you visit Hokkaido?