NEWS
MICHELINE-STARRED ALAIN DUCASSE TOOK NEW SPARKLING SAKE STYLE TO THE WORLD STAGE
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
5-7-2021
Source: Shichiken
French Michelin-star chef Alain Ducasse has collaborated with Japanese sake brand Shichiken to create a label of sparkling sake which is made by the same traditional fermentation method in Champagne.
Shichiken marries Ducasse’s Mediterranean inspiration together with the pure waters of Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan, to produce the label “Alain Ducasse Sparkling Sake”.
"A bouquet of white cherries emanates from the juicy burst of the bubbles, bringing sweet and slightly bitter waves from maturation in barrels, and leading to a calm and pleasant finish,” said master brewer Ryogo Kitahara in Shichiken’s website.
With flavour direction by Gérard Margeon, chef sommelier at Ducasses Paris, the sparkling sake was created by using the same traditional method in Champagne where the second fermentation was done in bottles to capture the resultant carbon dioxide.
One major difference is that the sparkling sake has been matured in cherry barrels.
The new drink positions itself as a high-end collaboration of excellence, uniting two distinct but eminent traditions from France and Japan to form a new and innovative sparkling sake.
“Alain Ducasse Sparkling Sake” is now being served at the chef’s restaurants around the world, including his two-Michelin-starred Beige Alain Ducasse Tokyo in Ginza district, and is available for purchase on the Shichiken website.
This new style of bottle-fermented sparkling sake was first pioneered by brewer Noriyoshi Nagai, of Nagai Sake in Gunma, in 2003 and was called Awasake in Japan.
In 2016, nine breweries came together to create the Awasake Association, and now the membership of the association has expanded to nearly 30.
The styles of Awasake range from delicate Brut Nature with ginjo character, to full-bodied, rich demi-sec. Some are floral and others are savoury.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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