Furano Winery Guide: Fine Wine and Sea of Flowers

Furano Winery is located on Shimizuyama in Furano City and is a red brick building. Here, you can not only tour the winemaking process and taste local wines, but also enjoy the lavender fields planted on the hillside behind the winery. While savoring fine wine, you can also admire the enchanting sea of flowers. This guide will take you on a comprehensive exploration of this unique attraction that combines fine wine, floral fragrance, and magnificent mountain scenery.

🌄 Complete Guide to Furano Winery: A Romantic Encounter with Fine Wine and Sea of Flowers

✨ Highlights and Features

The greatest charm of Furano Winery lies in its perfect blend of wine culture and Furano’s natural beauty. As one of Hokkaido’s representative wineries, it uses only grapes grown locally in Furano to produce wine. Taking advantage of the large temperature differences in the Furano Basin, it crafts distinctive wines, such as ice wine made in the cold climate.

· Unique Tasting and Viewing Experience: The winery’s second floor has a tasting area where you can sample wines and grape juice while enjoying views of the Tokachi mountain range. It is the only winery in Japan that uses 100% locally grown grapes for winemaking. The tasting selection includes three wines and grape juice all produced in Furano. Some tastings are free, while others require a fee.
· Seasonal Floral Feast: Lavender is planted on the hillside behind the winery, making it the closest lavender spot to JR Furano Station. From late June to mid-July (or early to late July), when the lavender blooms, you can enjoy wine tasting alongside the lavender scenery. Additionally, rapeseed flowers and other blooms are planted around the winery, creating a golden sea of flowers intertwined with vineyards in spring.
· Limited Edition Wines: To attract visitors, the winery offers limited edition products, such as small bottles of wine that are cute and perfect as gifts. These limited items are usually sold only at the winery, making them unique souvenirs of your Furano trip. Furano wine has a relatively small annual production, so buying wine here is especially distinctive.

🏰 Visiting and Experience Guide

Inside the Winery

The winery is free to visit, but groups of 10 or more need to make a reservation in advance. The visit includes:

· Winemaking Process Display: You can observe the wine production process, aging warehouses, and see bottled products, aging conditions, and bottling procedures through glass windows.
· History and Artifact Exhibition: The winery displays the history of wine, artifacts, and photos of the winemaking process.
· Cellar Tour: You can see wines produced since 1972 and barrels sealed since 2004, with aging periods of 10, 20, 30, 50, and 100 years.

Exploring Nearby Facilities

· Furano Wine House: A popular scenic restaurant located on a small hill behind the winery, where you can enjoy local wines and cuisine, such as Furano-style cheese fondue. The restaurant overlooks Furano’s fields and the Daisetsuzan mountain range.
· Grape Juice Factory: There is also a grape juice factory near the winery open for visits.
· Rokkatei Specialty Store: The famous Hokkaido brand “Rokkatei” has opened its first specialty store in the area near the winery, where you can buy Hokkaido’s signature sweets and souvenirs.

Below is a layout and experience flowchart of Furano Winery to help you visualize the tour route:

```mermaid
flowchart TD
Start[Furano Winery Tour Route] --> Arrival[Arrive at the red brick winery building]
Arrival --> Tour[Visit winemaking process display, history and artifact exhibition, cellar]
Tour --> Tasting[Second-floor tasting area: sample wine and grape juice while enjoying Tokachi mountain views]
Tasting --> Shopping[Shopping area: purchase wine and limited edition products]
Shopping --> Outside[Outdoor area: lavender fields (late June to mid-July) and other seasonal flowers]
Outside --> Restaurant[Furano Wine House scenic restaurant dining]
Restaurant --> Nearby[Nearby facilities: grape juice factory, Rokkatei specialty store]
Nearby --> End[End of tour]
```

🚗 Transportation Guide

Public Transport

· From JR Furano Station: Take the KURURU bus to “Wine Factory Stop” (Furano Wine Factory) to arrive. In summer (June to August), you can take the Furano Bus Company’s summer mini sightseeing bus directly, fare 150 yen (half price for children).
· Walking: About 3 km from JR Furano Station, approximately a 30-minute walk.

Taxi / Driving

· Taxi: About 1,100 yen taxi ride from JR Furano Station, just a few minutes away.
· Driving: About 10 minutes by car from JR Furano Station (some sources say about 5 minutes). About 60 minutes from Asahikawa Airport by car.
· Parking: The winery provides a parking lot with free parking for 22 cars.

💡 Practical Tips and Hidden Experiences

1. Best Visit Duration: Recommended stay is 1-2 hours (some suggest 0-30 minutes or 2 hours). If time allows, combine with visits to the nearby grape juice factory and Rokkatei specialty store.
2. Seasonal Strategies:
· Summer (June-August): Best time to see lavender, but also the busiest. Arrive early.
· Spring and Autumn: Fewer visitors, more relaxed wine tasting and touring, plus different seasonal flowers.
· Winter: Although lavender is gone, the snowy winery has a unique charm and fewer tourists.
3. Tasting Tips: Even non-drinkers can enjoy the specially made grape juice here, which is pure juice with no added water and very rich in flavor.
4. Best Photo Spots:
· The viewing window in the second-floor tasting area, capturing the Tokachi mountain range.
· The lavender fields behind the winery, perfect for summer photos.
· The red brick exterior, with its strong industrial style and historic feel.
5. Shopping Advice: Furano wine is available throughout Hokkaido, but the winery’s limited edition products are unique souvenirs. After purchase, the winery will carefully package your wine to prevent damage.
6. Combine Nearby Attractions: The winery is close to other popular Furano spots, which can be visited on the same day:
· Tomita Farm: Hokkaido’s most famous lavender fields.
· Forest Elf’s Balcony: A cluster of forest craft cabins next to the New Furano Prince Hotel.
· Furano Cheese Factory: Visit cheese production and taste dairy products.

💎 Summary

Furano Winery is more than just a winery; it is a multifunctional facility where you can fully experience the charm of Furano’s terroir. Whether you want to learn about winemaking, taste authentic wines and grape juice, or enjoy Furano’s natural beauty, this place meets all your needs.

Unlike typical tourist spots, its free admission policy makes it easily accessible to everyone, while the seasonal flower fields and tasting experiences offer unique feelings throughout the year. Coupled with the beautiful surrounding nature and proximity to other attractions, Furano Winery is undoubtedly an indispensable stop on your Furano trip.

When you stroll through the fields of Hokkaido, take 1-2 hours to visit this wine paradise embraced by mountains, letting the rich wine and colorful sea of flowers add a unique memory to your journey.🍷✨
Furano Winery