Wine Academy

What Wine Academy does

Wine Academy (Académie du Vin / アカデミー・デュ・ヴァン) is a Paris-originated wine education institution operating in Japan since 1987 and incorporated as 株式会社アカデミー・デュ・ヴァン in Tokyo on 2002-02-20. The company runs three physical campuses — Aoyama (Omotesando), Ginza, and Osaka Umeda — supplemented by an online course platform offering live-streamed and recorded classes, accredited partner classrooms across regional Japan, and a temperature-controlled wine warehouse that supports its e-commerce and wholesale operations. Its product portfolio spans a structured wine curriculum (Step-I through Step-α), professional certification exam preparation for J.S.A. Sommelier/SAKE DIPLOMA, WSET Levels 1–3, Wine Scholar Guild, C.P.A. Cheese Professional, and Jerez Cortador, plus sake, cheese, and sherry hobbyist courses.

The company generates revenue from five distinct streams: (1) course tuition and certification fees (¥5,500 registration fee plus per-course billing, typically annual subscription format) from a base of 6,000+ students annually across 150+ courses per season; (2) the Caves de la Madeleine e-commerce wine shop with 500+ SKUs priced from ¥2,000 to ¥300,000+; (3) B2B restaurant and hotel wholesale plus wine program consulting, supplying named luxury accounts including Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo, The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo, Hotel New Grand, and Wise Table Corporation; (4) custom order seminars and corporate classroom rental; and (5) the Tasting Cave wine-by-the-glass bar (¥1,500/30 minutes) and the 2024-launched Academy du Vin JCB Platinum co-brand credit card. Operational technology centers on reefer-container direct-import cold chain logistics, 15°C year-round warehouse storage, and an online enrollment platform.

The business is privately held with ¥120 million registered capital, no disclosed external funding, and no parent company or subsidiaries. Management is led by Representative Director and President Akihiro Ito (伊藤彰浩), Chairman Kaoru Hayashi (林 郁), and Director Yasuhiro Yokoyama (横山泰弘), with operations supervised by Naoshi Kobayashi (小林直史). The company holds a Tokyo Metropolitan Governor travel agency license (No. 2-8594, 2024–2029) and JIPDEC Privacy Mark certification, and operates without any AI, public API, or developer integration layer.

Name

Wine Academy

Legal name

株式会社アカデミー・デュ・ヴァン

Website

https://adv.gr.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wine Academy (Académie du Vin) is a Paris-originated Japanese wine school operating three campuses in Tokyo and Osaka plus online courses, serving 6,000+ students annually with wine, sake, cheese, and sherry education and certification prep alongside a 500-SKU direct-import e-commerce wine shop and B2B wholesale to luxury hotels and restaurants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine Education & Sommelier Training

NAICS

Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Bar & Beverage (Bartending/Mixology/Coffee/Tea) (EDAOAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB), Wine Bars (CRANACAE), Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Wine education services
• Wine certification courses
• Professional sommelier training
• Wine import distribution
• Hospitality wine consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Wine School Tuition: Revenue from course fees for wine education programs including Step-I/II/III courses, certification exam preparation (J.S.A. Sommelier, WSET, WSG, CPA Cheese Professional, SAKE DIPLOMA, Sherry), and special seminars. Registration fee of 5,500 yen charged for new students.
2. Wine E-commerce (Caves de la Madeleine): Online wine shop selling imported wines directly to consumers. Offers wines from France, Italy, Spain, Australia, US, and other regions. Also sells exam preparation wine sets for certification candidates.
3. Restaurant Wine Wholesale & Consulting: Wholesale wine sales to restaurants, hotels, and cafes. Provides consulting services for wine menu development and restaurant wine programs.
4. Order Seminars: Private wine seminars for corporations and individuals, including instructor dispatch and venue-provided courses.
5. Classroom Rental: Rental of school facilities for wine tasting events and wine seminars (corporate-only).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Wine Academy (アカデミー・デュ・ヴァン / Academie du Vin) is a Paris-originated Japanese wine school operating physical campuses in Tokyo (Aoyama, Ginza) and Osaka, plus online learning. It sells multi-level wine education courses (Step-I through Step-α), professional certification preparation programs (J.S.A. Sommelier/Wine Expert, WSET Levels 1–3, WSG, C.P.A. Cheese Professional, SAKE DIPLOMA, Sherry/Jerez Cortador), sake and cheese curricula, and supplementary services including a tasting bar (Tasting Cave), online wine retail (Caves de la Madeleine), restaurant wine wholesale and consulting, custom seminars, and classroom rental.

Product overview

Wine Academy (アカデミー・デュ・ヴァン, Academie du Vin) is a Paris-originated Japanese wine education institution operating as a multi-format learning and retail platform. The core offering consists of structured in-person and online certification courses covering wine (Step-I through Step-α comprehensive curriculum), sake, cheese, and sherry, alongside professional qualification prep for J.S.A. Sommelier/Wine Expert, WSET Levels 1–3, Wine Scholar Guild, C.P.A. Cheese Professional, and SAKE DIPLOMA. The school operates physical campuses in Aoyama, Ginza, and Osaka, supplemented by online live and on-demand course delivery. Revenue streams include a B2B segment (restaurant wine wholesale and consulting, custom seminars, classroom rental), an e-commerce arm (Caves de la Madeleine online wine shop with 500+ SKUs and direct-import wines), a tasting bar (Tasting Cave), a co-branded JCB Platinum Card, and a content platform (the Academy blog with instructor columns and study guides). The portfolio spans education, retail, hospitality services, and financial products, unified under the Academie du Vin brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Academy du Vin JCB Platinum Card: JCB platinum co-brand card offering wine school and tasting cave benefits including 30-minute free passes.

Products and services

• Wine Comprehensive Course (Step-I, II, III, Step-α)
• J.S.A. Sommelier / Wine Expert Certification Preparation Courses

Quantifiable outcome

• J.S.A. Sommelier exam pass rate: 1 in 5 students are from Academy du Vin (2019)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademy du Vin is an official WSET Approved Programme Provider (APP), offering WSET Award in Wines Level 1, 2, 3 and Award in Sake Level 1, 2. Students can take WSET certification exams at Academy du Vin locations.
• JCB (Japan Credit Card)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-branded Academy du Vin JCB Platinum Card offering cardholders free tasting cave access and other exclusive benefits. Card holders receive unlimited 30-minute free passes to Tasting Cave.
• French Wine Producers (Domaine Michel Gros, Vincent et Francois Jouard, Domaine Vocoret, Castel, Pascal Doquet, etc.)coreTechnology or IntegrationDirect import partnerships with quality French wine producers in Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, and other regions.
• Wine Scholar GuildminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademy du Vin offers Wine Scholar Guild (WSG) certification programs including French Wine Scholar and Italian Wine Scholar courses.
• Japan Sommelier Association (J.S.A.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary certification partner for J.S.A. Sommelier and J.S.A. Wine Expert qualifications. Academy du Vin is a leading exam preparation provider with high pass rates.
• Cheese Professional Association (C.P.A.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademy du Vin is an official exam preparation provider for C.P.A. Cheese Professional certification.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Berry Bros. & Rudd: Historic UK wine merchant combining fine wine retail, storage, and the BBR School of Wine. Comparable in integrating premium wine retail, professional education, and wine storage logistics as parallel revenue streams under one brand.
• WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust): Global standard-bearer for wine and spirits qualifications, with Approved Programme Providers including Academy du Vin. Comparable in that WSET is the underlying credentialing body whose curriculum Academy du Vin delivers; competitor at the global education authority level.
• Court of Master Sommeliers: Global governing body for the Master Sommelier credential with regional education affiliates. Comparable as the international gold-standard sommelier authority whose exams Academy du Vin candidates prepare for, and which competes for the same advanced student pool.
• Mercian Corporation (Kirin): Large Japanese wine importer and producer under Kirin Holdings with broad wholesale and retail reach. Comparable through B2B wine wholesale, import logistics, and restaurant/hotel accounts that overlap with Academy du Vin's hospitality wholesale channel.

Direct peers

• Shinya Tasaki Wine School: Japanese wine education school founded by Master Sommelier Shinya Tasaki, offering certification prep and hobbyist courses. Direct competitor to Academy du Vin in the same Tokyo/Japan wine school category with similar curriculum tiers and exam preparation focus.
• Cru Classe Wine Academy: Japanese wine school offering multi-level wine education courses including certification prep. Comparable to Academy du Vin in target market (Japanese hobbyists and professionals), course structure (Step/level progressions), and physical-school delivery in major Japanese cities.
• Le Nez du Vin: Japan-based wine school offering aroma training and structured wine courses, with curriculum focus on sensory analysis and tasting. Direct peer in Japanese wine education with comparable hobbyist-to-certification progression and physical campus model.
• Enoteca Co., Ltd. Japan-based wine importer, retailer, and educator operating wine shops and education programs. Comparable in combining direct-import wine e-commerce with tasting events and sommelier training, directly overlapping with Caves de la Madeleine's retail-plus-education model.

Regional players

• Shizuoka Wine Academy: Regional Japanese wine education provider focused on Shizuoka prefecture and Japanese wine production. Comparable in delivering structured wine certification prep to Japanese students, though geographically narrower than Academy du Vin's Tokyo/Osaka footprint.

Emerging players

• Sake School of America: English-language sake education provider offering SAKE DIPLOMA and J.S.A. sake exam preparation. Comparable in specializing in sake credentials, mirroring Academy du Vin's sake curriculum extension and competing for the same Japanese-beverage certification student audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/academie.du.vin.jp
• Instagraminstagram.com/academie.du.vin
• Xx.com/ACADEMIE_DU_VIN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academie-du-vin

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wine Academy