Château Mercian Jonohira Vineyard Recognized By The Ministry Of The Environment Japan As Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites
- CSV
March 18, 2025
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
TOKYO, March 18, 2025 - Kirin Holdings Company (Kirin Holdings) has applied for Château Mercian Jonohira Vineyard (Yamanashi Prefecture) of Mercian Corporation to be a nature-friendly Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites*1 by the Japan’s Ministry of Environment and on February 27. This is the second time for the Kirin Group, following the Château Mercian Mariko Vineyard (Nagano Prefecture), which was certified in October 2023.
The Ministry of the Environment Japan is operating in to certify areas of high biodiversity owned by the private sector and local governments as Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites in 2023, in order to achieve the 30by30*2 target adopted as a global target at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in December 2022. The system has been in operation since FY2023. Once certified as Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites, they will also be registered in the international database OECMs*1.
1 Names of areas certified by the Ministry of the Environment Japan as 'areas where biodiversity conservation is being promoted through the efforts of the private sector and others'.
2 The '30 by 30' target of having at least 30% each of land and sea as conservation areas globally by 2030 is a global target adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity held in December 2022.
3 Abbreviation for Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures
The Kirin Group and the Agricultural Research Organization started joint research*4 in 2014, and the results of the ecological survey of the Jonohira Vineyard, part of the results of this research, were used in the application for the Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites. Some natural features are called 'secondary nature', which is protected only because they have been touched by humans, and grasslands are a typical example. Originally a trellised tourist farm, the Jonohira Vineyard was converted to a hedged vineyard in 1984, and through proper management, native species and rare grassland ecosystems have been restored and a rich ecosystem has been created. Like the Mariko Vineyard, the Jonohira Vineyard is one of the few vineyards that produce agricultural products as a business among the certified nature symbiosis sites, and is considered an example of a business that leads to 'Nature Positive*5' through its business.
4 See below for information on previous joint research.
https://www.kirinholdings.com/jp/newsroom/release/2024/0327_03.html (Japanese)
5 Target to halt and restore biodiversity loss by 2030, as agreed in the G7 2030 Nature Pact.
Mercian Corporation (Mercian) is expanding its own managed vineyards to sustainably secure high-quality grapes, with the aim of consistently producing world-class quality wines under its vision of "making Japan recognized as one of the world's foremost wine regions."
About Château Mercian Jonohira Vineyard
This is Mercian's first estate-managed vineyard, which was planted in 1984 with the aim of producing the best Cabernet Sauvignon in Japan. The vineyards are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and other varieties.
The climate conditions are ideal for grape maturation, with a large difference in temperature between day and night. The vineyards are 550-600 m above sea level, the soils are clay and the gentle slopes are well ventilated with plenty of sunshine. The icon wine Ortus from this region means 'origin' in Latin and derives from the fact that Ortus is the source of Mercian's viticulture.
Main wines from the Château Mercian Jounodaira Vineyard currently on sale.
Château Mercian Jyonohira Ortus 2019
Château Mercian Jyonohira 2018
Château Mercian Jyonohira Rose *Winery exclusive.
In the future, the Kirin Group will continue to tackle complex and interrelated environmental issues (biological resources, water resources, containers and packaging, climate change) in an integrated manner, and to work together with all those involved in the value chain to connect our desire to enjoy and pass on the bounty of the Earth to future generations. We will actively promote various initiatives that have a positive impact on nature and people.
About Kirin Holdings
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.
Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.
Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become “A global leader in CSV*, creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.
* Creating Shared Value. combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large
