Kuheiji ─ The Sake That Crossed to Paris

Soul of the Kura

Most sake brewers buy their rice.
Kuheiji grows it.

On a single hill in Hyogo —
and on another, in Burgundy, France —
the brewery's own farmers tend Yamada-Nishiki
as a vigneron tends Pinot Noir.

The sake on the table at Robuchon Paris
began as a row of green stalks the brewer planted himself.

Characteristics

Founded 1647 in Nagoya by Banjo Jozo.
Reborn in the 1990s under the 15th-generation owner Kuno Kuheiji,
who flew to France to study with Burgundy winemakers,
then returned to apply terroir thinking to sake.
The first Japanese brewery to open a vineyard-style estate in France.
Listed at Joël Robuchon, L'Astrance, and Three Michelin tables across Tokyo.

Reasons to Visit

壱
Drink sake that thinks like wine
Vintage, vineyard, terroir — words borrowed from Burgundy, applied to rice.
弐
Compare the Hyogo and France bottlings
Same brewer, same rice variety — different soil. The difference is unmistakable.
参
Pair with Atsuta Jingu in central Nagoya
The Ichinomiya of Owari, holding the sacred Kusanagi sword — 15 minutes from the brewery.
四
Eat hitsumabushi grilled eel
Nagoya's signature dish — Kuheiji's brightness cuts the rich glaze.
五
Visit during the Eau du Désir release
The brewery's flagship vintage launches each spring — small batches sell out within weeks.

Tasting Etiquette

Use a Burgundy or chardonnay glass.
The aromatic profile demands a wide bowl, never an ochoko.
Serve at 12–14°C.
Like a fine white wine — too cold mutes the floral notes.
Decant if the bottle is fresh.
A young vintage opens beautifully after 20 minutes in air.
Save the empty bottle.
The label design is collected by sake sommeliers worldwide.
Take notes — vintage matters here.
The 2019 was different from the 2022, intentionally so.

Visit & Tasting

📍

Address

1-7-14 Otaka-cho, Midori-ku, Nagoya 459-8001

🚄

Access

JR Tokaido Line → Otaka Station → 10 min walk

🕐

Hours

Tour reservation only

📅

Closed

Walk-ins not accepted

🥢

Tasting

Available with tour

📞

Reservation

Required (email)

🇬🇧

English

Yes

— Facilities —

🅿️ParkingLimited

🚻RestroomYes

🏷️ShopYes

📅TourLimited

🗺 Directions 🌐 Official Site 📍 Open in Maps 📜 All Breweries

※ Hours, fees and contact details may change seasonally — please confirm on the brewery's official site before your visit.

Signature Labels

Kuheiji Eau du Dési

Complete the Sake Journey

Arrange your visit to Kuheiji — stay nearby, get there, taste with a guide, or take a bottle home.

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r 山田錦

Junmai Daiginjo · Yamada-Nishiki · Hyogo estate

The flagship. Bright, mineral, lifted. The bottle that introduced Kuheiji to Paris.

Kuheiji Camargue カマルグ

Junmai Daiginjo · Camargue rice from southern France

A French-grown rice expression. Faintly Mediterranean — drier, sun-touched, an extraordinary curiosity.

Kuheiji La Maison 仏蘭西山田

French estate Yamada-Nishiki

Yamada-Nishiki grown in Burgundy soil. The same rice, a different terroir — the most ambitious bottle in modern sake.

Pair With Pilgrimage

⛩

Ichinomiya of Owari Province

Atsuta Jingu

熱田神宮

The first-rank shrine of ancient Owari,
and one of the three most sacred sites in Shinto —
keeper of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, one of the Three Imperial Regalia.
A vast cedar forest in the heart of Nagoya,
fifteen minutes by metro from the Kuheiji brewery.

Visit the Sword Shrine →

Kuheiji

🏨Stay Near the Kura

🚄Getting There

🍶Sake Tours & Tastings

🍵Sake Vessels & Bottles

Atsuta Jingu