【Why I Want to Make Wine in the Mountains】A Challenge from Zero, Starting in a Nature-Rich Town in Fukuoka

“Was wine always this delicious?”

One day, I drank a certain wine that was so surprisingly delicious, it shocked me.
Since then, I feel like the flow of my life has started to change little by little.

Good evening! Or perhaps, good afternoon!
In a nature-rich town in Fukuoka Prefecture,
I am attempting to start something that seems reckless yet interesting—making wine in the mountains—
from scratch. I amMuravin (mura_vin).

In this note, I will document my journey as I, someone with no knowledge or experience, fumble my way through the challenge of winemaking.

There are three reasons why I wanted to make wine.

1. Because I was moved by wine, and I met people who were serious about it.

The first trigger was when I drank a wine one day that was so delicious, I was moved to say, “What is this… it’s amazing!!!!”
I was drawn in by the aroma and the finish, and before I knew it, I was researching wine more and more.

Along the way, I encountered the story of Italy’s “Sassicaia” and stories of Japanese people involved in winemaking.

Among them were people who originally started as a hobby,
but through steady effort and dedication, they are seriously making world-class wine.
I was deeply impacted by that sight.

“Wine is something that can move a person’s life this much.”
That’s what I thought.

Of course, it’s not an easy story; in fact, the hurdles are extremely high.
But for some reason, I couldn’t help but find that challenge very attractive.

2. Because I wanted to make use of the local mountain forest.

In my hometown, a certain town in Fukuoka Prefecture, there is untouched mountain forest.
Our mountain is one of them, and it seems to be south-facing with good sunlight.
(It’s deep in the mountains, so no one knows about it unless they look it up...)
I believe it has the conditions suitable for grape cultivation.

If I could use this land to create something new for the local area.
That feeling gradually grew stronger.

3. Because I wanted to face my own roots.

Actually, while researching my family tree, I found out that my family might have been in business since the Edo period.
Perhaps my family has always been involved in “utilizing land to create value,” and I wanted to start a business (akinai) that utilizes the land as well.

In order to pass on the inherited land to the next generation,
I want to start moving now. That is also part of my motivation.

Things I want to do from here on out

As of now, I have zero knowledge, zero experience, and zero money.
However, I plan to study and prepare little by little from here on.

First, trial cultivation. I want to start by growing grapes on about 5 ares (500㎡).

What kind of grapes should I plant?
How do I turn this into a vineyard?
Who should I consult?
What about subsidies and support programs?

……I have absolutely no idea about any of it (laughs).
But because of that, I will research everything one by one and record it here on this note as a real-time account.

Finally

While this note is a record for myself,
I think it would be wonderful if it could gently encourage someone else who someday thinks, 'I want to start something,' just like I did.

If you'd like, it would be a huge encouragement if you could share this on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram.
(Comments and follows are also very welcome!)

Next Time Preview

I called my father and talked to him about making wine
I will write about the real conversation with my family and the night I put my dream into words.