The multitude of sake events going on this October is unprecedented in my entire sake-loving life here in Vancouver! Not that I’m complaining.
To me, this means a turning point in sake awareness in the city, perhaps the country. Japanese food has come to the forefront internationally and globally, chefs are utilizing Japanese techniques, foods and incorporating them into their local cuisines.
It’s exciting times indeed and certainly sake should have its time to shine, at the zenith of Japanese cuisine worldwide.
Sake has been popular in the U.S. for some time, and we are finally ‘getting it’ here in Canada. I’m ecstatic to see the change and willingness of people to give sake a try—to find out they love it!
The upcoming dinner at Shuraku Sake Bar & Bistro should be another stellar evening. Fukumitsuya Brewery, makers of Fukumitsuya and Kagatobi lines, will be in Vancouver for the first time. Shuraku will be hosting a dinner with the sake maker, pairing five of Fukumitsuya’s sake with exceptional izakaya fare.
The price is a reasonable, $75, which includes tip and taxes. So be sure to check out what is sure to be a highly enjoyable event.
I have always loved Fukumitsuya’s sake. Above is a photo of their Fukumitsuya junmai called ‘Kazeyo Mizuyo Hotoyo’ or ‘Wind Water Man’. It is a great beginner’s sake: light, refreshing, lower in alcohol and acidity, quite smooth for a junmai.
Located in Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, which is NW of Tokyo, bordering the Sea of Japan. I have always been impressed by not only their lines of sake, but with their marketing savvy as well. There is a distinct emphasis on design that is evident in Fukumitsuya’s bottles and labelling. In Tokyo, the brewery has two mini-shops and a tasting bar that look like high-end fashion boutiques–homages to their dedication for producing elegant sake, inside and out.
Click here for details on the event.
Hope to see you there!
Kanpai!
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vancouver sake 
Great to hear sake is doing so well in Canada. I would still say it is has a very long ways to go in the US, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Canada leapfrogs us a bit. Either way it seems good progress is abound.
Thanks for the comment, Ben. I think your comments about the US probably depends on where you are situated. The amount of sake that is available in many major US cities is far greater than all the sake available in Canada. Yes, the entire country!
Even when I lived in Minneapolis working at moto-i, there was a lot of sake–most of which were and still are, unavailable here in Vancouver, even though our relative size and population are about the same.
Sake is expensive here. We are taxed heavily on imported liquor, which sake is but one of many. This is difficult for the agents who have to sell sake, when there is little to no education about how good it is. A tough sell when a 300 ml bottle of sake is equivalent in price or more to a 750 ml bottle of wine.
So this is our job–to speak the gospel of sake and inspire those who want to expand their horizons beyond merlot and riesling to a far better and nobler drink (in my opinion, of course).
I feel the tide changing at least! Thanks again for commenting! Kanpai.