Event Organizer’s Description:
After much fanfare and ado, the 2012 Joy of Sake event is now over. As expected, this years event was extremely enjoyable, with loads of delicious food and of course, tasty sake! Opinions were varied, but most people seem to like Pier 2 as the new venue. It’s central location and ample parking made getting there very easy, and the passenger terminal provided a large and roomy place to comfortably sip sake.

As we always do following the Joy of Sake event, we’re having our “Award Winners” sake tasting this Saturday. Be sure to strap yourselves in for a “wild ride” as Yoshi from World Sake Imports will be pouring EIGHT different sake, all of which have been awarded GOLD or SILVER. To help ease the crowding and give everyone enough time to sample so many different sake, we’re starting the tasting early at 2:00pm and will be tasting until 7:30pm.

JOY OF SAKE 2012 AWARD WINNERS
COMPLIMENTARY SAKE TASTING AND SALE
Saturday, August 4, 2012
2:00pm to 7:30pm

Here is the lineup for Saturday.

MIYASAKA YAWARAKA
“Sake Matinee”
Junmai
Very popular sake at the shop. This charming junmai with it’s faint taste of wild plum represents a new direction for Japanese brewers. It is unbelievably smooth and gentle with sweetness and acidity in finely etched balance. It’s light flavor and lower alcohol content (12%) make it ideal for lunchtime sake sipping. GOLD

AKITABARE KOSHIKI JUNZUKURI
“Northern Skies”
Junmai
Akitabare is the kind of sake one can drink enjoyably for hours at a stretch. (Not that we’ve ever tried doing this … heh heh! ) It’s subdued, understated refinement evokes a sense of the Northern province where it is meticulously brewed. SILVER

DEWAZAKURA DAIGINJO
“Mountain Cherry”
Daiginjo
Rarely sampled at the shop, this is one you won’t want to miss. This sake is reminiscent of softly melting snow. It has a mild floral fragrance, revealing notes of peach and apricot at mid-range, concluding with a light and slightly dry finish. GOLD

TAMAGAWA KINSHO
“Heart of Gold”
Daiginjo
Philip Harper’s masterpiece, this sake is round and full flavored with gambling fruit and floral displays joined by riper fruit and grassy nuances. Glacial incrementations of flavor achieved by sub-zero bottle aging impart both silky viscosity and depth. SILVER

DEWAZAKURA OKA
“Cherry Bouquet”
Ginjo
Soft feeling on the tongue, Oka’s transparency of flavor matches the clarity of the colorless liquor. It is floral rather than fruity, though there is a touch of pear and perhaps melon. GOLD

DEWAZAKURA DEWASANSAN
“Green Ridge”
Ginjo
Another very popular sake at the shop. With its floral nose and mellow fruity flavor, “Dewasansan” is a rewarding choice for wine drinkers new to the world of sake. It has a wholesome freshness with a green apple tartness and refreshing finish. GOLD

DEWAZAKURA OMACHI
“Jewel Brocade”
Ginjo
Made from Omachi rice, the ancestral strain from which virtually all sake brewing rices are descended, with a luscious aroma and ornate flavor that deepens and mellows on the palate. GOLD

TEDORIGAWA YAMAHAI JUNMAI
“Silver Mountain”
Junmai
This is Nadine’s favorite everyday drinking sake. It is a connoisseur’s junmai sake, dry, sharp and smooth all in one. It’s mild astringency, characteristic of sakes made using the old yamahai method, is balanced by a faintly discernible sweetness. GOLD