Lumiere Former Underground Fermentation Tanks

Japan's First European-Style Underground Wine Tanks

The Lumiere Former Underground Fermentation Tanks (ルミエール旧地下発酵槽) are semi-underground stone wine fermentation tanks built in 1901 at Ichinomiya-cho Minaminoro, Fuefuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and were registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 21, 1998. They are described as Japan's first European-style underground wine fermentation tanks (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Fuefuki City).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records one stone structure with a building area of 203 square metres, registration number 19-0025, owned by Lumiere Co. In 2018 the tanks also became a component of the Japan Heritage story "A Landscape Woven by Vineyards" (Japan Heritage Portal, Lumiere).

Wine-Making in Kai and the Tanks

According to Lumiere's company profile, its winery was founded in 1885. The eastern Kofu Basin, long a grape-growing district, took up wine-making from the Meiji era onward.

Lumiere states that the Lumiere Former Underground Fermentation Tanks were built in 1901 under the guidance of Kamiya Denbei, as horizontal tanks dug into the slope of an alluvial fan. Before stainless-steel tanks existed, from the Meiji to the Showa era, they were used to ferment wine in large volumes.

Value as a Registered Cultural Property

The Lumiere Former Underground Fermentation Tanks were registered as a structure that would not be easy to reproduce. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that they were made as wine fermentation and storage tanks, and that the solid structure is still partly in use.

What to Look For

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records ten tanks, each 1.9 metres wide, 6.6 metres deep and 2.7 metres high, joined at the front by an underground passage. The tops are now sealed with concrete and a winery building stands above. Fuefuki City highlights the ten rectangular tanks of precisely laid granite set side by side.

According to Lumiere, the acid-resistant granite tanks each hold more than 10,000 litres. Bamboo mats are laid on the floor and sides, and whole crushed bunches are fermented inside, a distinctive method still used in production.

Visiting

The Lumiere Former Underground Fermentation Tanks are part of the working Lumiere winery and can be seen on its guided winery tours, which require booking and a fee. Tours cover the vineyard, the winemaking building, the stone tanks and the underground cellar; book by phone (0553-47-0207) by 15:00 the day before, for two or more people (Lumiere).

The underground cellar is reached by stairs. The address is 624 Ichinomiya-cho Minaminoro, Fuefuki City; check the winery's guide for current schedules and fees before visiting.