History of Akiu Winery
The Great East Japan Earthquake
On March 11, 2011, the hot spring facility "Yupoppo" in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, designed by Mori Chikafusa (CEO of Sendai Akiu Brewery), who worked at an architectural firm, was damaged by the tsunami. When Mori saw the site, where only the foundations remained, he realized the weakness of the architecture and had a strong desire to rebuild. While drawing up several reconstruction plans, he learned that Miyagi's only winery, located in Yamamoto Town, had been damaged by the tsunami, and that the wine industry in the prefecture would come to an end.
The first step towards recovery
"Wine has the power to connect people, and food and people. If the wine industry can be revived, it will surely get the local industry involved and liven things up," he thought, and came up with the idea of creating a wine village as part of the Tohoku Coastal Revitalization Project. He started growing 10 types of grapes on land where a winery once stood, but progress became difficult as the salt in the soil caused by the tsunami caused growth problems. At one point he was about to give up, but his family's words pushed him to try to make a comeback in a new place.
Winery Establishment
While struggling to find land suitable for both the agricultural side of grape growing and the commercial side of building a winery, a friend introduced them to their current property. The site was 2 hectares of abandoned farmland in Akiu Onsen, about 30 minutes by car from the center of Sendai. The overgrown trees were cleared with the help of a total of about 200 volunteers.
They started planting grape vines in the spring of 2014, and in March of the same year, they established the Sendai Akiu Brewery Co., Ltd. and began construction of the winery. In December 2015, they opened the current "Akiu Winery" as the first winery in the prefecture since the earthquake disaster.
2013: Farmland confirmed
Spring 2014: Grape planting
2014 Winery construction
Advocating "Terroage"
Today, Akiu Winery is not only engaged in grape cultivation and wine brewing, but also in nurturing future generations, regional development, tourism, and more. In 2020, in order to spread the appeal of Tohoku to the world, they established "Terroage Tohoku" with the cooperation of various businesses, including sake breweries and restaurants. They aim to further develop the region with the cooperation of all of Tohoku.