Sakaya NYC Blog

We are tremendously excited about the “Destination: Sake” feature about SAKAYA in the June 2008 issue of Travel + Leisure. Thanks to the recommendation of our friend Lynn, we were selected by John Hancock Financial Services to be written about as part of their “Pivotal Conversations” campaign recognizing people who have achieved their dreams with the aid of a key advisor (in our case, our friend, sake expert John Gauntner.

If you’d like to read it and don’t have access to the issue, you can check out the piece here…. Travel & Leisure June 2008 Destination Sake.　　 And, if you think that picture in the story was a quick snapshot, below are some pictures of the photo shoot that produced it!

Kanpai!

Weddings, Graduation Day, Father’s Day, and the year’s longest day (marking the official beginning of summer)…in the U.S. the month of June brings with it many sake-celebratory occasions.

In Japan, June marks the start of the rainy season. Known in Japanese as Tsuyu or Baiu (梅雨）, the word which originally came from China, literally means “plum rain.” Why plum? As is often the case in China and Japan, seasonal weather is whimsically linked to a floral or food item that is prominent at that time of year. In this case, it is when plums ripen. Hence the kanji (Chinese) character for plum was adopted to describe this rainy season.

Rain or shine, we believe that every day is an occasion for enjoying sake. So, when planning your June celebrations, looking for that breakthrough idea for a gift to mark a special occasion, or just looking to metaphorically bring a little bit of the Japanese “plum rain” experience into your life, think sake!

This month we’ve lined up some great opportunities to expand your sake experience. We are fortunate to have two brewers from Japan and one key importer scheduled (so far) and we’ve also added a new wrinkle too….

Wednesday, June 4: 6pm to 8pm

Fukumitsuya, the brewer of Kagatobi sake will be represented by Mr. Yageta who will be pouring their flavorful, fruit forward Junmai Daiginjo, Junmai Ginjo, and dry, savory Cho Karacuchi Junmai Yamahai.

Thursday, June 12: 6pm to 8pm

Asahi Brewer Mr. Sakurai is back in NYC with his famous Dassai brand sake and will be leading the tasting of his Dassai 23 Junmai Daiginjo, Dassai 50 Junmai Ginjo and Dassai Junmai Ginjo Nigori.

Saturday, June 21: 3pm to 6pm

Sake expert Paul Tanguay will pour several special sake selections from the portfolio of importer, Vine Connections…check out the schedule on the website for updates on the specific sake to be tasted.

Saturday, June 28: 3pm to 6pm

Sake & Cheese! An unlikely marriage? If you haven’t tried it yet, let us introduce you to a match made in heaven.

Please be sure to check our website regularly for updates to this schedule. We look forward to seeing you at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!

We’re tremendously excited that kuramoto from two well-known breweries have landed in NYC this week and will be offering samples of their sake to those fortunate enough to be able to stop by the shop the evenings of Thursday, May 15 and Friday, May 16.

Thursday, May 15 from 6:30 to 8PM

From Kamotsuru Brewery in Hiroshima, the brewery that invented Daiginjo sake 50 years ago, we are pleased to have their Sales Manager, Mr. Tamura and his associate Mr. Shobayashi with us to introduce their legendary Daiginjo as well as their structured, crisp Junmai Ginjo, and rich umai-laden Tokubetsu Junmai.

Friday, May 16 from 6 to 8PM

Kotaro Saito, the 5^th Generation President of the Saiya Brewery in Akita, makers of Yuki No Bosha Junmai Ginjo and Junmai Ginjo Nigori and Kattchou Gesseki Junmai Daiginjo will pour samples of these soft, fruity, yet flavorful sake.

Come visit us and experience the pleasures of the sake produced by these two dynamic breweries. We look forward to seeing you at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko

Hard to believe it’s already May! One of the first celebrations of Spring, the Sakura Matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is this weekend, May 3 and 4. Pick up your o-hanami sake at SAKAYA for your picnic under the sakura blossoms!

In Japan, May means Golden Week which is well underway. Golden Week is the collection of holidays that all fall in one week; Showa Day on April 29, Constitution Day on May 3, Green Day (Showa Emperor’s Birthday) on May 4, Children’s Day on May 5. It is one of Japan’s busiest holidays. If you are fortunate enough to be in Japan (or to be employed by a Japanese company), you have an entire week of time off from work to enjoy the beauty of Spring!

Although we don’t have Golden Week in the U.S., we do have a golden month of tastings blooming in May at SAKAYA.

Thursday, May 1: 6 to 8pm

Joto Sake Imports’ Namazake Tasting
Watari Bune Junmai Ginjo Nama (Ibaraki) & Eiko Fuji (Yamagata) Junmai Ginjo Nama

Wednesday, May 7: 6 to 8pm

Selections from Nishimoto Trading
Kudoki Jozu Junmai Ginjo (Yamagata) & Denemon Junmai Ginjo (Niigata)

Saturday, May 17: 2 to 4pm

Sake Samurai & Urbansake.com‘s Tim Sullivan Tasting

Saturday, May 24: 2 to 4pm

Selections from Niigata Sake

Saturday, May 31: 2 to 4pm

Futkumitsuya Brewery (Ishikawa)
Kagatobi Junmai Ginjo & Kagatobi Cho Karakuchi

Please join us to sample these golden brews. We look forward to seeing you at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!

We are very fortunate to have just scheduled a visit from Mabuchi Keizo, from Tamano Hikari, the brewer of the tasty Junmai Daiginjo “Brilliant Jade.”  Keizo-san will be pouring his nihonshu from 6 to 8PM on　Thursday, April 24.

Founded in 1673, this Kyoto brewery produces this extremely well-balanced brew made from the distinctive Omachi pure rice strain,  featuring its unique flavor and a clean, crisp finish.

Please note that due to this addition to our tasting schedule that our “Dramatically Different Daiginjo’s” tasting has been shifted from the evening of Friday, April 25 to Saturday, April 26 from 2 to 4PM.

We look forward to seeing you for one (or both) of these tastings at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!

SAKAYA

324 E. 9th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenue)

NYC  10003

212.505.7253 (SAKE)

For many April means enjoying the cherry blossoms (o-hanami) or opening day for baseball (yakyu) season. At SAKAYA it also means a month filled with great sake tasting events! Leading off our April schedule is an all-star line-up of brewers along with leading sake expert and “Sake Handbook” author (and our mentor) John Gauntner. We are honored and incredibly fortunate to have these esteemed icons of the sake world visit SAKAYA to share their brews and their knowledge.

We will also continue to welcome the latest wave of Spring namazake (unpasteurized sake) releases as they arrive, introduce more of the terrific brews from the World Sake portfolio, and wind up the month with a tasting focused on the dramatic differences that exist among some stellar super premium (Junmai Daiginjo/Daiginjo) grade sake.

Saturday, April 5: 2pm to 4pm
Yasutaka Daimon, President and Toji (master brewer) of Daimon Brewery (Osaka) will pour Tozai “Well of Wisdom” Ginjo and “Voices in the Mist” Ginjo Nigori. Joining us at the same time will be Ozaki-san, President of Tentaka Brewery (Tochigi) who will be sampling Tentaka Kuni “Hawk in the Heavens” Junmai as well as their “Silent Stream” Junmai Daiginjo.

Saturday, April 5: 6pm to 8pm
We are excited to have leading sake expert and “Sake Handbook” author John Gauntner here to share his wisdom along with Miho Imada, President of Fukucho Brewery (Hiroshima) who will be pouring her Fukucho “Moon on the Water” Junmai Ginjo. We are also delighted to have with us Mr. Sudo, President of the famous Sudo Honke Brewery (Ibaraki) to share samples of his Sato no Homare “Pride of the Village” Junmai Ginjo.

Monday, April 7: 6pm to 8pm Mr. Niichiro Marumoto, President of Chikurin Brewery from Okayama will be pouring Chikurin Fukamari Junmai, Karoyaka Junmai Ginjo, and Hou Hou Shu sparkling sake.

Saturday, April 12: 2pm to 4pm
Otokoyama Brewer from Hokkaido

Thursday, April 17: 6pm to 8pm
Andrew Richardson from World Sake Imports

Saturday, April 19: 2pm to 4pm
New Spring Release Namazake Arrivals from Japan Prestige Sake Imports

Friday, April 25: 6pm to 8pm
Rick’s selection of “Dramatically Different Daiginjo’s”

Keep checking our website “Events” page for updates and more details on these upcoming in-store tastings and please join us. We look forward to seeing you at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko
SAKAYA
324 E. 9th Street (Between 1st & 2nd Ave.)
New York, NY 10003
212.505.SAKE (7253)
www.sakayanyc.com

March is the crazy month that can’t make up its mind. It’s an unpredictable mixed bag with frigid, blustery winter weather one day and a gentle, mild glimpse of Spring the next. The March tastings line-up at SAKAYA follows this theme of unpredictability with its own mixed bag of sake topics: regionality, special early Spring namazake releases, collections of two experts’ favorites, and some well-chosen selections from an importer’s impressive portfolio…

Saturday, March 1, 2 to 4PM – Mr. Ataru Kobayashi of Niigata nihonshu importer Niigata Sake Selections will offer visitors an exceptional opportunity to taste several of their small production brews including Kakurei Daiginjo, Midorikawa Honjozo, Yukikage Tokubetsu Junmai and one more…

Tuesday, March 4, 6 to 8PM – Mr. Kohiyama from Hokkaido brewer, Takasago will visit us to introduce Taisetsu Junmai Ginjo, and Ginga Shizuku Junmai Daiginjo, the “ice dome” sake that epitomize this sakagura on the northernmost island of Japan.

Saturday, March 8, 2 to 4PM – Our good friend Mr. Sake Samurai, aka the well-known UrbanSake blogger, and sake authority Timothy Sullivan shares his insightful commentary while pouring several of his favorite sake.

Thursday, March 13, 6 to 8PM and Saturday, March 15, 2 to 4PM – JotoSake Founder and CEO Henry Sidel and his NY Sales Director, Midori Nakazawa debut a selection of their artisanal breweries’ early spring namazake (unpasteurized sake).

Thursday, March 20, 6 to 8PM – World Sake Imports’ sake expert Andrew Richardson will share several selections from their exemplary portfolio of premium nihonshu.

Saturday, March 29, 2 to 4PM – Sakagura sake sommelier par excellence Chizuko Niikawa returns to SAKAYA to share her picks for sake to celebrate Spring!

Please join us to experience and explore the pleasures of these outstanding sake. We look forward to welcoming you at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko

SAKAYA

324 E. 9th Street

NYC 10003

212.505.7253

We are delighted to have Ms. Sachiko Toshioka from the Fukumitsuya Sake Brewery in Ishikawa prefecture visit SAKAYA on Friday, February 22 from 6 to 8PM to offer guests a sampling of Kagatobi sake. Long before opening our store, we fell in love with the Kagatobi brews and therefore are particularly excited to have Toshioka-san here to share them with you!

Please join us for this special event to kick off your Friday evening.

Looking forward to seeing you at SAKAYA…

Kanpai!

SAKAYA

324 E. 9th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenue)

NYC 10003

212.505.7253

Our schedule of weekly tastings for February will engage your senses with a spectrum of sake ranging from those that induce romantic notions to sake lovers’ perennial harbingers of Spring, the Hatsushibori Namazake (Spring-released unpasteurized or “draft” sake).

Friday, February 8, 6 to 8PM

Let the romance begin with the first of our pre-Valentine’s Day weekend samplings of suggested sake to sate your significant other’s thirst for an exquisitely crafted love potion. Onodera-san, of importer Wine of Japan, will offer the delicately floral Ume no Yado from Nara and the soft, smooth, Beni Mansaku (“in full bloom”) from Hiroshima to put your palate “in the mood.”

Saturday, February 9, 2 to 4PM

Sake Sommelier Chizuko Niiwaka of Sakagura, which serves NYC’s largest selection of sake, and also most recently, of New York Magazine fame will be on hand to offer her expertise as she pours her Valentine’s Day sake recommendations including Yuki no Bosha Junmai Ginjo from her native Akita prefecture, Hanatomoe “Flower Petals” Junmai Ginjo from Nara, and the pink-labeled Dassai “Otter Fest” Nigori from Yamaguchi.

Friday, February 15, 6 to 8PM & Saturday, February 16, 4 to 6PM

They’re here! Come sample the fresh, lively taste of the Spring namazake (unpasteurized sake) releases from Japan Prestige Sake; the light, smooth Koshi no Homare “Shiboritate” Junmai Nama Genshu from Niigata, Okayama’s unique Kamikokoro “Tokagen” Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu made with white peach yeast, and rich, flavorful Shutendouji “Oh-Oni” Junmai Ginjo Nama Genshu from Kyoto. Learn how they come by their unique flavor profiles from importer and Sake Master, Kazu Yamazaki and JPS Executive Director, Mariko Yamazaki.

Thursday, February 21, 6 to 8PM

It’s the day before Washington’s Birthday and by George, we’ve got it when it comes to some fascinating sake for you to try from importer, The Jizake. If you haven’t tasted a Kimoto sake, this is a prime opportunity to experience Daishichi Junmai Kimoto “Classic” from Fukushima prefecture, one of the premier examples of a type of sake made “the old fashioned way!” Sake Sommelier Yoshihiko Takao of The Jizake will be on hand to discuss what makes Kimoto so special and to pour another of their tasty brews that we’ve just begun to carry, Chiyomusubi Tokubetsu Junmai from Tottori.

Please join us for any or all of these sake explorations. We look forward to welcoming you to SAKAYA and hope to see you soon!

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko

SAKAYA

324 E. 9th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenue, closer to 2nd)

NYC 10003

212.505.7253 (SAKE)

www.sakayanyc. com

Interrupt your regular routine this chilly last week inJanuary with something that is certain to brighten it considerably…a special tasting of a selection of sake from the esteemed Hakkaisan brewery in Niigata.

We are honored and delighted to be visited by Hakkaisan’s Ms. Kuniko Kurosawa this Wednesday evening, January 30 from 5 -7PM when she will be pouring their “Eight Peaks” Honjozo, Ginjo, and Junmai Ginjo (as well as a mysterious “surprise” sake).

We apologize for the last minute notice, but knew that you wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to meet Kurosawa-san and taste some of these prized nihon-shu from one of Japan’s most highly regarded breweries! Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow evening here at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!

SAKAYA

324 E. 9th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues, closer to 2nd)

NYC 10003

212.505.7253