Our Business

A Wine Business with a Global Perspective

While also producing superior-quality wines domestically in Japan, Suntory conducts a global wine business in cooperation with distinguished wineries throughout the world.

We acquired the management rights to the distinguished Château Lagrange winery in Bordeaux, France, in 1983, becoming the first non-Western company to operate a Bordeaux Grand Cru Château. By focusing on making the highest quality wines and maintaining full respect for the traditions and customs of the Bordeaux region, we succeeded in raising the reputation of Château Lagrange to remarkable new heights within a few years of acquiring the vineyard. Since 1988, we have also handled the operation of Weingut Robert Weil in Rheingau, Germany. In addition, we jointly operate two French châteaux, Châteaux Beychevelle and Château Beaumont, as well as one négociant.

We have established tie-ups with distinguished wineries and champagne houses in various countries, including Georges Duboeuf, Domaines Barons de Rothschild, E & J Gallo, Freixenet, and Laurent-Perrier, enabling us to deliver fine international wines to our consumers.

Raising Japan’s Wine to a World-class Standard

The history of Suntory is grounded in wine. Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii laid the groundwork for the Suntory of today in 1907, when he made Akadama Port Wine (now Akadama Sweet Wine) available for purchase. In 1936, we joined hands with Zenbei Kawakami, often called the father of Japanese viticulture, to operate a vineyard in Tomi no Oka, Yamanashi Prefecture. With our own vineyard located here, we began to practice viticulture from cultivating European wine-dedicated grapes through vinification and aging as a whole, creating the leading “Tomi.”
This vineyard is now Suntory’s Tomi no Oka Winery.

The winery’s flagship wine, Tomi 1997, is a distillation of our winemakers’ craft and passion. At the international “2003 Les Citadelles du Vin” wine and spirits competition held in France’s Bordeaux region, it became the first Japanese wine ever to take a gold medal. Furthermore, Tomi Red 2014 won a gold medal for the second year in a row in the Japanese wine division at the 2019 International Wine Challenge (IWC), while our Tomi No Oka Koshu 2017 won the Platinum medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2019, both receiving high international approbation. Our winery’s viticulture has thus been globally recognized.

In 2010, wine made with 100% domestic grapes was positioned as "Japanese Wine," and the consequent releases of the Tomi no Oka Winery series and the Japan Premium series, wines that pursue uniquely Japanese tastes, have met with favorable response. This was followed by the Shiojiri Winery series in 2017, which was also received favorably.

In 2022, to convey the appeal of our Japanese wine to an even wider audience, we launched SUNTORY FROM FARM, a new brand. Four series that express Suntory’s commitment to quality winemaking—Symbol, Winery, Terroir and Hinshu—are being offered, a reference to the skill, affection and time invested in making these wines by winemakers dealing with the natural surroundings and climate of Japan from the vineyards.

As a result, in 2023 Tomi no Oka Koshu 2021 was recognized and awarded the Platinum Award at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).

As the company leading the way in developing Japan’s wine market, Suntory continues to actively introduce new wines, such as Delica Maison, a wine for everyday enjoyment and the antioxidant, additive-free Sankaboshizai Mutenka no Oishii Wine, created in response to consumers’ safety, security, and health concerns. In addition to these existing wines, Suntory continues to actively pursue new value through products such as Suntory Wine Café (Wine Soda), a new proposal for the casual enjoyment of wine, and Wine no Kyujitsu, a non-alcohol wine-taste beverage.