The Sake Matsuri was the first event of its kind, bringing six Japanese sake importers and distributors together for a spectacular day of sake tasting! Sake is slowly but surely making its way onto the Australian market, and while it has taken some time to get some traction, the Sake Matsuri was a great indicator of sake’s current popularity, with both the afternoon and evening events nearly sold out! Armed with an ochoko (sake cup), wine glass and the master sake list, we were ready to take on the Sake Matsuri!

First, we’d like to take a moment to introduce each of the booth holders that were at the Sake Matsuri.

SUPER SAKE

SuperSake had a wonderful array of sake on the day! Their range boasted a number of high quality sake, as well as a number of varieties such as nigori ‘cloudy’ sake and even a rose! The Kinmon x3 Rose was made from ‘red rice’ and was absolutely divine. Another favourite of mine was Gozenshu’s 9 Regular Bodaimoto.

BISHU WINE

Bishu Wine had a unique and extravagant selection of sake, starting off with the Yamanashi Meijo Shichiken Sparkling Sake. Sparkling sake is relatively new to the sake scene, especially here in Australia, and it’s a great way to demonstrate the versatility of sake. It had such an elegant taste that would suit any occasion or celebration. Another notably unique sake was Miyashita Brewery’s Okayama Togo, an aged sake. Aged since 1993, the sake had taken on a completely different colour, aroma and flavour. It had a sweetness to it and a flavour quite similar to brandy. It was such a hit that they sold out of it during the afternoon session alone!

DÉJÀ VU SAKE

We have had the pleasure of drinking Déjà vu Sake’s delicious imports before, and some of our old favourites such as Dewazakura and Tengumai were there, but this time we got to try some newer additions to their import list. Fukuju, made in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture was a standout with a clean and crisp taste due the hardness of the water used in their sake production. Yoshinogawa’s Ginjo Gokujo was also great with a clean taste that felt very smooth, with green apple and slight aniseed notes. It was a little bit fruity and almost ‘kawaii’ (cute) sake.

DAIWA FOOD

Daiwa Food had brought along a broad variety of beverages on the day, for the most part they were pushing Akita Meijo’s Ranman brands of sake, which they had six different varieties of! Each variety had its own unique characteristics and it was great to try so many different types of sake from the brewery. Another two interesting types of sake they had brought along with them for people to try were nigori ‘cloudy’ sake from Kizakura Shuzo. There was a Matcha Nigori and a Coconut Nigori, both of which almost tasted like a liqueur and would be an excellent addition to cocktails! Coconut would go well with pineapple juice and the Matcha Nigori could be enjoyed on ice!

SAKENET AUSTRALIA

Sakenet’s approach was a little different and the sake that they had brought with them was less occasion-focused and more food-focused, all of the sake available on the day also had recommended food or dish matchings. They also had two ‘O-kan’ (hot sake) stations. The lovely booth staff suggested they when people buy their sake that they try it at all different temperatures, experiment with it and find a temperature and food pairing that suits their tastes. In particular, we enjoyed their Taketsuru Junmai!

BLACK MARKET SAKE

And last but not least, Black Market Sake had various types of sake from all over Japan! Most were towards the central or southern end of Japan. We quite enjoyed Terada Honke’s Daigo no Shizuku. It’s an unpasteurised, undiluted, full-bodied sake with a citric acidity to it that is zesty and refreshing!

For a full list of the sake that was available on the day, you can find detailed information here.

Maker and Monger kept everyone’s hungers satiated with their grilled cheese sandwiches, and Miso Fresh had a variety of Japanese style snacks and street foods to satisfy that craving after delicious sake.

And after a bite to eat, you could go straight back to more sake tasting!

Attendees left with their shopping bags full and a new (or deepened) interest in Japanese sake. It was an event perfect for couples and friends to attend and try something new or further expand their love for sake! We’d like thank REVEL and the Sake Matsuri team for having us at their wonderful event.