CONTENTS
1: Dom Perignon Mastermind to Try His Hand at Sake
2: Kampai Sake Tours Seeking “Sake Ambassadors” for Free Tours of Kansai Bars and Breweries
3: New Sake Shop Opens in Ginza, Offers New Tastings Each Week

Dom Perignon Mastermind to Try His Hand at Sake

Richard Geffroy, the chef de cave of Dom Perignon Champagne since 1990, will step down from his position at the end of the year, and now it is reported that he will be involved in a new sake brewery opening in Tateyama, Toyama Prefecture.

Geffroy’s new brand will be called “Shiraiwa”, which is named after one of the regions in which rice for the sake will be grown. Able to receive the recently in-demand (and hard to come by) sake brewing license from a previous Toyama brewery that closed down, construction on the new brewery is expected to begin within the year. In addition to rice production, Geffroy is said to have chosen the Shiraiwa and Ashimi areas of Tateyama partly for their beautiful natural scenery.

Design of the brewery will be handled by none other than arguably Japan’s most famous architect, Kuma Kengo, with product design to be handled by internationally renowned Australian industrial designer, Marc Newson.

Included in the project, a Tateyama Brand Overseas Expansion Center is also scheduled to be completed by the end of fiscal 2019 and will be located near the Shiraiwa brewery. This 675 million-yen (US $6M) project is expected to help promote and offer business consultation services for sake dealers and exporters, while also serving as a facility to support brewery visits.

Could this dream team be the shining star that will beckon in a new era of sake brewing with the marketing and industry know-how to bring sake into the international spotlight? Those in Toyama are certainly hoping so.

LINK: webun 北日本新聞 | 2018/08/08 | 富山の日本酒を世界へ　仏の著名シャンパン醸造家　立山町に醸造所

Kampai Sake Tours Seeking “Sake Ambassadors” for Free Tours of Kansai Bars and Breweries

Kampai Sake Tours is a group which helps to introduce travelers to the art and culture of sake by taking them on tours of bars and breweries in Kobe and Kyoto, Japan’s number one and two sake producing regions respectively.

Any man and woman over the age of 20 (legal drinking age in Japan) with a social media account are eligible to become Sake Ambassadors and take a three-hour tour of bars and/or breweries in either Kobe or Kyoto. A tour, valued at about 8,000 yen (US$72), will be provided free of charge, provided that all participants simply fill out a TripAdvisor review and post the experience to their own social media accounts.

During the program period from now until November 30th, anyone interested in enjoying an afternoon of being a “Sake Ambassador” should refer to the details below and send an email to kampaisaketours@gmail.com with “Sake Ambassador Recruitment” in the subject line.

◎Event Information

• Name: Kampai Sake Tours “Sake Ambassadors”
• Dates: Sep 1st – Nov 30th
• Time: Tours begin at 2 p.m. and visits three or four sake bars and/or breweries in three hours
• Location: Fushimi Ward, Kyoto and Higashinada Ward, Kobe
• Requirements: Must be over 20 / Must be able to write a review on TripAdvisor / Must have an active personal social media account such as Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook
• Cost: Tour guide is free, with participants asked to pay tasting fees. The Kyoto tasting fee is 2,000 yen ($18) and the Kobe tasting fee is 1,000 yen ($9).
• Reservation: Cubic

LINK: PRTIMES | 2018/09/05 | 酒蔵巡りツアーの【Kampai Sake Tours】が、「酒アンバサダー」の募集を開始！