Agricore Echigo

Agricore Echigo Winery in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture was established by founder Yoshimasa Tanemura, who aspired to revitalize the region in an area with heavy snowfall. Influenced by the winemaking of Ikeda Town in Hokkaido, Mr. Tanemura decided to establish a winery in order to revitalize the region, which was in decline due to rice acreage reduction policies in the 1970s. After learning cultivation and brewing techniques in Bordeaux, France, he founded Echigo Wine in 1975. Snow cellar storage, which takes advantage of heavy snowfall, ages wine in a cool environment, bringing out its fruity, fresh flavor. Currently, there are restaurants and shops, and it is gaining popularity as a tourist attraction in Minamiuonuma.