Ikeda Wine Castle
Ikeda Wine Castle
3.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
3.5
164 reviews
Excellent
13
Very good
81
Average
60
Poor
7
Terrible
3
Gary Y
Singapore, Singapore290 contributions
Sep 2017 • Family
We loved going to vineyards and decided to check this out on our way into Obihiro. The castle section is located on the top of the hill (offering a nice scenery) and housed the restaurant, a cellar as part of the wine tour and the shop. It's free admission and a particular white wine was free for tasting (helping yourself off a small barrel). Didn't like the white at all. The rest required a fee of 300Yen per wine or 1,200Yen for 5.
We tried a recommended red blend but didn't really like that either so we stopped there, partly because my basic Japanese stopped me from trying to find out more. So we ended up leaving without any wines even though that was our intend for the visit. The server couldn't speak English.
There were a few rows of grapevines next to the castle so that was good for some pictures especially when in season full during our visit.
We tried a recommended red blend but didn't really like that either so we stopped there, partly because my basic Japanese stopped me from trying to find out more. So we ended up leaving without any wines even though that was our intend for the visit. The server couldn't speak English.
There were a few rows of grapevines next to the castle so that was good for some pictures especially when in season full during our visit.
Written September 18, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul C
Chicago, IL54 contributions
Nov 2016
I was surprised to learn about Japan's European-style wine production so had to visit this wine castle which requires a short train ride from Obihiro and an uphill walk. The castle is one big concrete edifice which overlooks the town. I walked in through the lower level storage area and no one was there then went to see the roof top view and still no one was there. I went into the restaurant and there were some people eating and serving. Servers did not speak English. There were several options on the menu and a possibility of having red or white wines. I tried glasses of three different ones. The labels were entirely in Japanese so I could not say which grapes were involved, however, they do produce wines with some local grapes that are not well-known internationally. From this I learned that they are producing for domestic consumption. There is a population of Japanese who are interested in drinking European-style wines. I read a description that the local wines were acidic in nature and I agreed with that description. There is also a store where one saleswoman could speak English and help identify what grapes were in various wines, i.e. Kiyomi and Yamaoki.
Written January 25, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NewYork5555
Tokyo Prefecture, Japan421 contributions
Aug 2019
On the day I visited, the production was off, just able to see the machinery stopped.
In another building, many kinds of goods were sold. I am not drinker of wine, cannot evaluate the Ikeda Wine, but looked it had popularity. Ikeda is a far from Obihiro Airport. I am not sure what kind of public transport are available. Ikeda is small town, accomodations are recommended to get in Obihiro.
In another building, many kinds of goods were sold. I am not drinker of wine, cannot evaluate the Ikeda Wine, but looked it had popularity. Ikeda is a far from Obihiro Airport. I am not sure what kind of public transport are available. Ikeda is small town, accomodations are recommended to get in Obihiro.
Written October 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rose P
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia2 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
was on a drive tour of hokkaido and on the way to Lake Akan ,i stop by at wine caslte...later when i went back to Sapporo i realised some of the wines i bought were retailing at half the price in 7-11 ....thats disaapointing to know
Written May 17, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chuzaa
Vancouver, Canada3,483 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
On a small hill of the town of Ikeda is Chateau Ikeda or Ikeda Wine Castle. This is probably the northernmost point in Japan where grapes are grown and wine being produced. Interestingly this is a municipal winery with its history going back to 1963 when then mayor initiated this wine-making business to create a new industry for his town.
We didn't join the winery tour, but had some samples at its concession. They offer some samples; one free and several for a fee. We first tried the free one of the day and it was C minus. We then paid JPY350 per person and tried four different labels. They were definitely better. They were more or less like Pinot Noir type. It turned out that the free wine was blended wine from international sources and the others were from the local grapes. So, please make sure to spend a small amount of JPY and try the real local wine.
They are working very hard for sure to secure better and better grapes for their extremely cold winter weather. It's a tough task in Hokkaido.
The view of the town of Ikeda from the chateau was great!
We didn't join the winery tour, but had some samples at its concession. They offer some samples; one free and several for a fee. We first tried the free one of the day and it was C minus. We then paid JPY350 per person and tried four different labels. They were definitely better. They were more or less like Pinot Noir type. It turned out that the free wine was blended wine from international sources and the others were from the local grapes. So, please make sure to spend a small amount of JPY and try the real local wine.
They are working very hard for sure to secure better and better grapes for their extremely cold winter weather. It's a tough task in Hokkaido.
The view of the town of Ikeda from the chateau was great!
Written October 31, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deryn H
Waterlooville, UK2,454 contributions
Jun 2019
We visited here as part of our tour of the island. The itinerary mentioned a tasting and lunch but there was no winery tour as such or information about the grapes etc. It was more a case of here’s some free wine now go upstairs and eat. The meal, however, was very nice. Help yourself to vegetables and they brought a beef steak with beans for each of us which was very tasty. There was also free wine to try with the meal which was variable in taste but again with no information as to the wine.
Written November 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jjyy
5 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
Thinking that the restaurant might be less crowded after the lunch hour rush, we delayed our arrival until after one p.m. Our hunch turned out to be right, partly because the horde of Chinese tourists that several buses disgorged just as we pulled into the parking lot made a beeline for the ground floor souvenir shop. The restaurant on the fourth floor was so empty that our footsteps almost echoed as we entered. A waitress briskly seated us at a window table, right next to an elderly couple at one of the only two tables that were occupied. The sourpuss husband ignored both his wife’s chatter and his meal, opting instead to glare balefully at us until his wife had finally made enough trips to the buffet table and they departed.
The “castle” is a hulking concrete monstrosity perched on a hill, next to the equally unappealing concrete building that houses the wine factory. The panoramic view of the Tokachi Plain out the restaurant window would have been lovely were it not for the conspicuous foreground presence of the ramshackle, rundown town of Ikeda, whose most prominent features are its town hall and shuttered streets, like nearly every other town in Hokkaido.
As is more and more often the case at eateries in these short-staffed times, the menu consists of a main dish and an all you can eat buffet. We both opted for variations of overpriced Tokachi steak, which turned out to be under-delicious. The buffet featured a number of items that might have been interesting had they been available, but since it was getting on toward mid-afternoon by that point the staff apparently thought that it wasn’t worth the effort to replenish the buffet. The salad offerings were particularly disappointing, mostly wilted lettuce and just a few of the many different items that little signs indicated should have been there.
I sampled a glass of red Yamasachi, a full-bodied Tokachi Wine offering, and it was quite lovely. I splurged on an overpriced bottle at the gift shop on the way out.
The staff had clearly been taught to smile when interacting directly with customers and also clearly wanted to have as little to do with the customers as possible, trying to blend into the background as much as they could.
It was a chilly fall day and there were far too many tourists milling about so we opted not to stroll down to see the vineyard. We also decided that we probably wouldn’t be visiting the Wine Castle again any time soon.
The “castle” is a hulking concrete monstrosity perched on a hill, next to the equally unappealing concrete building that houses the wine factory. The panoramic view of the Tokachi Plain out the restaurant window would have been lovely were it not for the conspicuous foreground presence of the ramshackle, rundown town of Ikeda, whose most prominent features are its town hall and shuttered streets, like nearly every other town in Hokkaido.
As is more and more often the case at eateries in these short-staffed times, the menu consists of a main dish and an all you can eat buffet. We both opted for variations of overpriced Tokachi steak, which turned out to be under-delicious. The buffet featured a number of items that might have been interesting had they been available, but since it was getting on toward mid-afternoon by that point the staff apparently thought that it wasn’t worth the effort to replenish the buffet. The salad offerings were particularly disappointing, mostly wilted lettuce and just a few of the many different items that little signs indicated should have been there.
I sampled a glass of red Yamasachi, a full-bodied Tokachi Wine offering, and it was quite lovely. I splurged on an overpriced bottle at the gift shop on the way out.
The staff had clearly been taught to smile when interacting directly with customers and also clearly wanted to have as little to do with the customers as possible, trying to blend into the background as much as they could.
It was a chilly fall day and there were far too many tourists milling about so we opted not to stroll down to see the vineyard. We also decided that we probably wouldn’t be visiting the Wine Castle again any time soon.
Written February 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Walter F
Leonia, NJ591 contributions
Oct 2017 • Family
Place desperately needs help. Worst wine tasting experience. Thimble size wine for tasting. Free WiFi except it doesn’t exist. Saw maybe 2000 square feet of vineyard.
Written October 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
markelshout
Beijing, China268 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
Having tasted the wine in Hokkaido from a random wine shop, we were keen to visit the manufacturer. It is the only Japanese grape wine that we have truly enjoyed, comparative to the Australian and NZ wines we normally consume. We decided to have lunch in their restaurant. This was an excellent buffet meal with a great view of Ikeda and district. We highly recommend this place for all its offerings. The shop also has great local cheese and ham.
Written July 28, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HXZ_HZX
Singapore387 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
We got to see wine production facility (which was active), vineyard, wine storage areas, a shop and nice view of the town. Hence it was a nice overall experience. Made a detour from Tomanu resort to Lake Akan to visit this place - it was worth it.
Written July 3, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
常時見学できるのは、地下のワイン貯蔵庫と１階の展示フロアですが、３０分程度みておけば十分です。別棟でワイン製造工場（稼働日が限定）が２棟ありますが、こちらも見るのであれば、＋３０分くらい。ワインを試飲してお土産に買うならもう３０分てところでしょうか。なお、日時限定ですが、ワイン城の見学ツアー（予約制）があり、こちらは３０分のコースになっています。都合が合うなら、解説付きのこちらのコースがおすすめです。
Written October 9, 2018
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