Akita Inu Tourism is a regional Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMO) formed by four municipalities, including Odate City in Akita Prefecture. On February 5th, it launched a new brand of wine called “Akita Inu Wine” in collaboration with the Kosaka Town Development Corporation. The corporation is a third sector company that operates the Kosaka Seven Falls Winery in Kosaka Town. The wine has three varieties: red, white, and rosé, and is available at the Meiji Hyakunendo, a direct sales store at the Kosaka Mine Office.
Since April of last year, the two organizations had been planning to commercialize this wine, anticipating a tourism rebound in the post-pandemic era. A silhouette of an Akita dog, which is popular both at home and abroad, is printed on the label to attract more customers. The DMO designed the label using Japanese and English to appeal to foreign tourists.
The grapes used are grown in the Tokito area near the winery, with red and rosé made from wild grape hybrids and white from Niagara. The red and white wines are limited to 1,100 bottles and the rosé to 300 bottles. Each bottle is 720 milliliters and is priced at 2,200 yen for red, 1,650 yen for white, and 1,980 yen for rosé.
At a press release held at the Kosaka Mine Office on February 4, Mr. Nakata Naofumi, chairman of Akita Inu Tourism, said, “We want to use Akita Dogs as a symbol to enhance the appeal of our products and prepare in advance for the recovery of inbound tourism.” Mr. Mori Hiromi, president of the Kosaka Town Development Corporation, also spoke, “We hope that regional cooperation using wine will improve our brand image.”
In addition to Meiji Hyakunendo, the wine is also available at liquor stores in the northern part of the prefecture, the online store of Kosaka Seven Falls Winery, and the mail-order website of Akita Inu Tourism, “Kodawari AKITA Select Shop.”
