Hiroshima Prefecture Promotes Sake and Oysters in London
Hiroshima Governor Mikachi Yokota and others held a tasting in London on 8 September, presenting IWC-recognised prefectural sake and oysters to British buyers and MPs.
A governor-led tasting in Britain
On 8 September, Hiroshima Governor Mikachi Yokota and sake industry representatives from the prefecture held an event in London, where they were visiting, to showcase the prefecture’s leading sake and oysters. Around 20 guests were invited, including British drinks buyers and members of parliament. The prefecture hopes to expand exports of local products, riding on growing interest in Japanese cuisine in Europe. Hiroshima lies in western Japan on the Seto Inland Sea, and is home to more than 40 sake breweries. It has long been known as a region with a thriving sake-brewing tradition.
Two breweries recognised at the IWC
The sake served at the venue came from Kasui Shuzo in Shobara and Kamoizumi Shuzo in Higashihiroshima, both of which earned high praise in the sake category of the International Wine Challenge (IWC), the world-renowned wine competition. Although the IWC is a wine competition, it also has a sake category, and in May this year the judging for that category took place in the Saijo district of Higashihiroshima, a city famous as a sake-brewing town. The idea is to use the recognition won in the competition directly as a persuasive argument for overseas buyers. This visit can be seen as a prefecture-wide attempt to open the door to the British market.
Pairing oysters with sake
Served alongside the sake were raw oysters and oyster tempura. Rob Hampton (42), who runs an oyster restaurant in London, praised Hiroshima oysters highly, saying they are plump and fragrant and go very well with sake. By presenting sake together with food that complements it, the prefecture appears to be aiming to help people picture the actual occasion of drinking it.
If you would like to enjoy this story in Europe, look on bottle labels and in importers’ product descriptions for the place name “Hiroshima” and for brewery names such as Kamoizumi and Kasui Shuzo. An IWC award can be one useful clue when choosing an unfamiliar brand. As for the oyster pairing shown in London, you can try the combination that Hiroshima wanted to convey to British buyers at home too, by serving chilled sake with familiar oysters such as those from Zeeland in the Netherlands or from France.
Sources
This article was written by The Sake Wire editorial team, summarising the public sources listed above. Images are our own.
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