Three Akita sakes win at France's Kura Master, with special prize for awa sake

Kura Master, a sake competition held in France, is known for being judged by French sommeliers and food-and-drink professionals, which makes it a useful guide to how sake is received at European tables. In the 2026 results, three brands entered by two breweries from Akita Prefecture, a rice-growing region in northern Japan, won top awards. Azakura Shuzo (Yokote) won the Jury Prize, awarded to the top entry in its category, for “Azakura Junmai Daiginjo Muroka Genshu Misato Nishiki Jikomi”, as did Akita Seishu (Daisen) for “Kariho Koun”. In addition, Akita Seishu’s “Dewatsuru Awa-shu Asu e” was chosen for the special “Alliance Gastronomique Prize”. Akita sakes also won Platinum and Gold awards.

A junmai daiginjo polished to 38%

Azakura won in the junmai daiginjo category for rice polished to between 36% and 50%. Junmai daiginjo is one of the highest grades of sake, brewed from only rice, rice koji and water. The polishing ratio shows how much of the brown rice grain has been milled away: the lower the number, the more of the outer rice has been removed, which generally gives a more delicate taste with fewer off-flavours. Azakura Shuzo polished the sake-brewing rice Misato Nishiki to 38% and fermented it slowly at a low temperature, drawing out the savoury sweetness of the rice within a clean, crisp taste. “Muroka genshu” means a sake that has been neither filtered nor diluted with water, close to how it came off the press at the brewery, so the full depth of aroma and flavour is preserved.

A sparkling sake chosen for its match with food

The Alliance Gastronomique Prize is a special award that judges not the sake on its own but how well it pairs with a meal, and only one entry is chosen from all the sakes submitted. It is the first time a brewery in Akita Prefecture has received it. The winning “Dewatsuru Awa-shu Asu e” is a style known as “awa-shu”. Awa-shu is sparkling sake that, like Champagne, ferments in the bottle to create natural bubbles, and it is made to be enjoyed from the opening toast right through to the end of the meal. That French judges chose it as a sake to go with food is one sign that sake can work with cuisines beyond Japanese food.

Enjoying it in Europe

As of the reports in June, the award ceremony was due to take place in September. A Kura Master award is one of the benchmarks European wine merchants and restaurants use when choosing sake. If you come across these sakes in a shop or on a wine list, look at the label for “junmai daiginjo” and the polishing ratio. A polished junmai daiginjo shows its aroma best served chilled in a white-wine glass, and goes well with white fish and shellfish. Awa-shu can stand in for sparkling wine at a toast, and is also recommended with fried dishes and fresh cheese, where the bubbles refresh the palate.