タヌキ
The Curious Tale of our
Wine-Loving Tanuki
Long ago in the forests of Japan, a cheerful creature known as Tanuki (タヌキ) wandered through cedar groves and mountain fields.
He was famous for his playful spirit: a bringer of luck, a shape-shifter, and a lover of life’s simple joys. Traditionally, Tanuki was known to sip warm sake under the moonlight, celebrating good company and good fortune.
But one autumn evening, while drifting near the vineyards of Yamanashi, our Tanuki stumbled upon something new: a glass of amber wine made from Japanese grapes, glowing softly in the twilight. Curious, he took a sip… and everything changed.
He tasted the craft of the farmer, the patience of the winemaker, and the quiet magic of Japan’s land and seasons. From that moment on, the old sake-loving trickster became obsessed with Japanese wine.
Years later, we found ourselves on a similar path of discovery. We traveled to Japan expecting sake and sushi, but what we found in its vineyards and cellars — from the volcanic slopes of Hokkaido to the mountain terraces of Nagano, Tochigi and Okayama — transformed our understanding of the wine landscape itself. The elegance, purity, and spirit in every bottle moved us deeply. We knew these wines, and the people who made them, deserved to be shared with the world!
And so, the Japan Wine Club was born. Inspired by Tanuki’s transformation and our own, the club is a bridge between Japan’s new generation of winemakers and those in America who share that same sense of curiosity and wonder.
We invite you to join us in exploring these small, heartfelt wines. Each bottle is a story of the terroir and winemaker.
Our Guiding Mission
To bring the artistry of Japan’s natural and regional wines to American tables, sharing the people and places behind every pour.
Our Spirit Guide
Playful, sincere, and a little bit mischievous — just like our Tanuki.