Toyama's new brand San-roku-maru Shiro wins Platinum in Milan

Wakatsuru Shuzo is a sake brewery in Toyama Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast of central Honshu. San-roku-maru (三六〇), a brand launched only in 2026 at its Saburomaru brewery, has now won international recognition. On 12 August the company announced that its junmai ginjo sake “San-roku-maru Shiro” had won Platinum in the junmai ginjo category at the Milano Sake Challenge 2026, held in Italy.

A bottle chosen by Italian sommeliers

The Milano Sake Challenge is an international competition that aims to promote sake in the Italian market and raise its quality. The judges are local sommeliers and drinks specialists. Beyond the quality of the sake itself, how well it pairs with food and food culture is a major criterion. In a contest that tests whether a sake can hold its own at the table in a land of wine, a brand in its first year on sale has won Platinum. San-roku-maru Shiro also won a Gold Medal at the Tokyo Sake Challenge 2026 in the same year, so it has now been recognised in both Japan and Europe in succession.

A new brand aiming to be “rounded and airy”

The concept of San-roku-maru is “Rounded and Airy” (円にして空). Rather than letting any one of sweetness, acidity, bitterness, umami or aroma stand out, it aims for a light, rounded flavour in which all five are in harmony. The announcement’s own headline carries the phrase “Rounded sake for the world”.

Shiro is made solely from Gohyakumangoku grown in Toyama. Gohyakumangoku is one of the leading varieties of rice suited to sake brewing (sakamai). Junmai ginjo is a sake grade made without added distilled alcohol, from rice polished to remove its outer layers and fermented slowly at low temperature. The alcohol content is 14 per cent, slightly lower than typical sake, a figure that also fits the concept’s emphasis on lightness. In 2026 Wakatsuru Shuzo also won Gold Medals at KURA MASTER for three labels, San-roku-maru Hattannishiki, San-roku-maru Kiwami and the Nokaya series, so awards have followed one another this year.

If you want to try it in Europe

The Milan judging put weight on pairing with food. San-roku-maru Shiro can therefore be thought of as a bottle whose character comes through more easily when drunk alongside a meal. Junmai ginjo is generally best poured into a wine glass once it has warmed up slightly, rather than served well chilled, as this brings out the aroma and roundness. Try it with delicately flavoured dishes such as grilled white fish, seafood risotto or fresh cheese like mozzarella. It is not yet clear whether it will turn up in Europe, but it is worth looking for the names “Wakatsuru” or “三六〇” on the lists of specialist sake shops and importers. The recommended retail price in Japan is a modest 1,950 yen (excluding tax) for 720 ml. It will be interesting to see how far this newborn brand spreads overseas.