The projects to promote sake are increasing. To discover or further your knowledge, trade fairs, education, books are available now. You have no excuses!
The founder of the European sake fair is not an importer but an educator. He created the Sake Academy in 2010. Former contemporary dancer who first studied physics and mathematics, then aikido teacher, he left to Japan were he met a tea master. Getting interested in sake he realized that France was late in discovering this product. “I learnt Japanese with sake producers. I took a training course and I have been learning since 2009 to craft this product made of rice, water and koji. In 2012 I have been appointed Sake Samourai, Sake ambassador by the producers, and I was the first one in France.”
His mission: educate the consumer. “The misconception of sake in France has to be changed. It is neither a spirit, nor the after dinner alcohol with a 40 or 50° proof served in an erotic cup. It has to be given back its letters of nobility.” Sylvain Huet wants to help the consumer make his own choice according to his palate. The diversity of the sakes to be found in Japan led him to promote them through a European sake fair that held its 3rd edition in Paris in October. “When I set up the first edition in the Bastille Design Center, I organized the European sake summit. The second edition in 2015 in the Cap 15 congress centre was a European fair for sake and Japanese beverages. The small producers could showcase far beyond the French borders. This type of meetings and recognition of sake abroad, in the country of luxury and gastronomy, improves its image within Japan. The third edition in 2016 took place over three days in New Cap Event Center, in Paris.”
Whereas the organizers had some 50 exhibitors the year before, more than 400 sakes and 150 other products like beer, liqueurs and teas were presented this time with all the products related to the service of sake. The sake producers, the importers, the distributors but also the representatives of regions of Japan and prefectures have come. The prefecture of Kyoto was the guest of honour. Successful challenge, 3,000 visitors composed of amateurs, professionals, chefs, sommeliers, importers and buyers attended the event.
Sarah Canonge
Opened in November 2015 by Foodex, L’Atelier du Sake is especially dedicated to chefs, sommeliers, cellar owners, barmen and journalists. This place provides information and enables to discover and taste Japanese quality sakes. Suitable for 10 persons, it proposes a broad range of 50 sakes representative of the Japanese diversity. The team organizes various events like master classes and training courses to present the history and characteristics of sake, from fruity to mineral and dry to sweet sakes. Various sakes are available in the shop: rosé, soft, sweet, sparkling, non-filtered or unpasteurized. These workshops also teach about food and sake pairings or sake-based cocktails.
4, impasse des Carrières, 75016 Paris – www.atelierdusake.com
In a simple To those who love Japanese alcohols (sakes, whiskies, beers) and aged over 18, the Japan Touch proposes in partnership with Osake to enter a genuine sake brewery.
Within the exhibition “The mysteries of sake” discover a hands-on circuit, unique in Europe, showing the work in a sake brewery. In “the Sake village”, four Japanese brewers, coming from traditional artisanal breweries, leave their vats for a weekend to come and meet the French public. Exceptional sake makers with each their distinctive aromatic signature. Come and taste sake and exchange with them. Then have a break at the sake bar to taste it with different temperatures, in cocktails … You can also discover a range of beers and the famous Japanese whiskies. The last area is a shop: sakes, beers, pottery, books, gift boxes … ideal when Christmas comes up.
Debates, conferences and autograph sessions take place all along the Japan Touch weekend with Siméon Molard (co-founder of Dev-A/ Osake), Gautier Roussille and Kura de Bourgogne, producer of the first sake made in France.
www.salondelasie.com
Kura de Bourgogne wants to make available the Japanese ingredients in France in their authentic and traditional version: fresh, raw, unpasteurized. They are produced according to the artisanal and traditional Japanese methods, using ancestral and entirely natural making processes. Their products preserve all the flavour, aromatic and probiotic qualities. As far as possible Kura de Bourgogne use local organic products to reduce their ecological and environmental impact. For instance their misos are prepared with organic rice from Italy, organic soja grown in the Southwest and Guerande salt with the label Nature&progress. Kura de Bourgogne is established in Burgundy in a natural setting and provides local employment. They sell tasting and cooking sakes, miso, kasu (sake lees) and koji (malted rice).
Kura de Bourgogne was established in 2015 by Hervé DURAND, native from Burgundy, and fond of Japanese gastronomy, wines and culture. He has been living in Japan and London, has a mixed family, became a non-professional brewer when he came back in France in 2009, then certified sake sommelier in 2013. Fond of cuisine, he gradually interested in making sake, koji and miso. He loves to share his passion for traditional Japanese products through presentations and tastings, miso preparation workshops and cooking lessons in French, English and Japanese.
www.kuradebourgogne.fr
The Sake Sommelier Association (SSA) is the first organization in Europe to provide Japanese sake education. It proposes many public and private training courses on an international level. The association is present in 14 countries including Japan and is ‘the’ authority for sake education with many prestige players in the private sector.
In France SSA is represented by osake.fr (company Dev-A established by Siméon Molard and Julien Casorla, specialized in the import of Japanese quality sake in France) that provides the training for the certification Saké Sommelier. The training of Certified Sake Sommelier enables to get a certificate that states the necessary knowledge to work in the sake trade. It is dedicated to those who want to understand the culture related to the beverage, get knowledge of the crafting process, learn about its history, perfect their tasting skills and learn about the different types and categories of saké. This certificate, unique in the world, is more and more sought-after in many well-known restaurants who propose attractive Sake Sommelier jobs. Recognized in many countries, it has the advantage to certify the only skills and knowledge of a candidate and not his knowledge of Japanese which is a selection criterion in the courses in Japan. The Sake Sommelier certificate also opens the door of the London Sake Challenge and the qualifications of the Sake Sommelier of the Year challenge.
SSA has many personalities among its members such as Philippe Faure-Brac, Best Sommelier of the World 1992, Gérard Basset, Best Sommelier of the World 2010, and Benjamin Roffet, Best Sommelier of France 2010.
The 2017 sessions are in preparation. Visit the website www.osake.fr (for France).
Exhibitions, shows, workshops, shop, the Japanese Cultural Centre of Paris invites you to open the doors to the broad Japanese culture. Traditional and modern arts, dance, costumes, swordsmanship, tea … the Centre has a full and varied programme.
www.mcjp.fr
Gautier Roussille
In a simple but rigorous language this book, result of 5 years of researches, methodically unveils the process of turning rice into sake. It is dedicated to anyone who wishes to understand sake, its ingredients and crafting methods, from the beginner to the enologist, as well as the sommelier or the wine and spirit lover. Four subjects are presented: the raw material, the fermentation, the refining and the tasting. An extremely detailed but approachable bible.
262 pages, 16x24 cm, €20.00
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