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Draft:Sake challenge

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A sake challenge is a competition, typically held annually, to identify and recognize premium sake. The idea was conceived and competitions founded in 2012 by the Sake Sommelier Association and its founders, Xavier Chapelou[1] and Kumiko Ohta.[2] The competitions are held annually in cities and countries worldwide, including Milan, Singapore, Luxembourg, Bordeaux, and London.

The London Sake Challenge was the first sake competition and was dedicated solely to sake and local food pairing.

Background

Main article: Sake

Sake, or saki, is an alcoholic beverage made of fermented rice and water. Sake originated in Japan and dates back as far as 500 BCE.[3] Recently, sake has gained attention and significant outside of Japan and exports have rapidly increased due to the growing popularity of sake worldwide. The value of sake exports in 2022 was more than six times that of 2009.[4] As of 2022, the value of Japan's alcoholic beverage exports was approximately 139.2 billion yen, with sake accounting for the second most-valued export at 47.5 billion yen.[5] Today, sake has become a world beverage with a few breweries in China, Southeast Asia, South America, North America, and Australia.[6]

Objectives

The purpose of the event is to recognize outstanding premium sakes. It aims to promote sake consumption by showcasing a new market where sake is paired with local food. Additionally, the event seeks to raise global awareness and increase the popularity of sake, particularly through "Japan Life", an event celebrating Japanese culture.

Judging Process

Each sake is assessed independently, not comparatively. Sake sommeliers and jury members evaluate each entry based on appearance, flavor, and taste in the first round of blind tasting. The design and packaging are assessed separately.

This innovation was first introduced by the Sake Sommelier Association during the 2012 London Sake Challenge

Today, many sake competitions around the world have been influenced by this novel idea and have adopted it.

Reward

The competition awards Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to the highest scoring sakes in accordance with the judging criteria.

References

  1. ^ "Sommeliers Match Sake With Truffles and Foie Gras". Wine Searcher. 27 September 2012.
  2. ^ "Going Global with SSA Sake Challenges". SakeTimes. 2 August 2022.
  3. ^ "The History of Japanese Sake | JSS". Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association | JSS (in Japanese). 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  4. ^ 日本酒輸出2022年度実績 金額・数量ともに過去最高 日本酒造組合中央会 (in Japanese). Japan Agricultural Cooperatives. 6 February 2023. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023.
  5. ^ 最近の日本産酒類の輸出動向について (PDF) (in Japanese). National Tax Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2023.
  6. ^ Hirano, Ko (2019-05-04). "American-based breweries are creating their own brand of sake". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved 2019-12-04.

Further reading

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