Sake brewed from high schoolers' rice, "Enmusubi", wins Jury Award in Vienna
"Enmusubi", a sake brewed from rice grown by students at an agricultural high school in Niigata, has won the Jury Award, chosen by 10 sommeliers, at the first sake competition held in Vienna.
The first “VIENNA SAKE AWARD 2026” sake competition was held in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on 11 October 2026. The Jury Award went to “Enmusubi” (written 〇結), brewed by Hasegawa Shuzo in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, using rice grown by students at Niigata Prefectural Nagaoka Agricultural High School. The Public Vote Award, decided by votes from visitors, went to “Gakki Masamune” from Okidaikichi Honten (Oki Daikichi Honten) in Fukushima Prefecture. Eco Rice Niigata, an organisation in Niigata Prefecture, announced both awards.
A bottle made by high schoolers, from paddy field to label
Niigata Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast, is one of Japan’s leading rice-growing regions. The rice used for “Enmusubi” is Gohyakumangoku, Niigata’s best-known sake rice. It is a variety bred specifically for sake brewing, separate from table rice. Third-year students at Nagaoka Agricultural High School grew this rice in the school’s practice paddy. After the harvest, they inspected the rice, helped with polishing it for brewing (the process of milling away the outer layer of the grain) and took part in the brewing itself. They even turned the rice straw left after reaping into washi paper by hand-papermaking, and made the labels themselves. The sake is said to carry their thanks to the teachers, family and friends who looked after them.
The first competition and the Public Vote Award for “Gakki Masamune”
The competition had four categories: Junmai / Honjozo, Junmai Ginjo / Ginjo, Junmai Daiginjo / Daiginjo, and Special. These follow the grades of sake, and in general the closer a sake is to Daiginjo, the more the rice has been polished, and the more aromatic and delicate it tends to taste. The Jury Award goes to the single sake that the 10 sommeliers judged the most delicious, regardless of category. “Gakki Masamune”, the Public Vote Award winner, is made from Shunyo, a low-glutelin rice grown in Niigata Prefecture. Low-glutelin rice is rice that contains less glutelin, a type of protein.
The competition took place as part of Craft Sake & Food Fair Vienna 2026, a trade fair for sake and Japanese food. This was the sixth edition of the fair, held on the final day of Sake Week Vienna, which ran from 1 to 11 October. At the opening ceremony, Ambassador Iwama Kosuke of the Embassy of Japan in Austria took part in kagami-biraki, the traditional Japanese celebration in which the lid of a sake barrel is broken open with a wooden mallet.
Enjoying sake in Europe
Sake weeks and trade fairs keep returning to Vienna, which suggests that sake is becoming established in Europe. What stands out in this year’s results is that the sommeliers and the general visitors favoured different sakes. It can be fun to taste them side by side and think about how the preferences of professionals and enthusiasts differ. Checking the name of the rice on the back label (Gohyakumangoku, Shunyo and so on) opens up the pleasure of choosing sake by the character of the rice. Sake made with Gohyakumangoku is generally regarded as crisp and light, and should pair easily with everyday European fare such as white fish and vegetable dishes.
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This article was written by The Sake Wire editorial team, summarising the public sources listed above. Images are our own.
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