Sakaya NYC Blog

Although  Fall officially started in late September, for us  it is the arrival of  Hiyaoroshi, the autumn seasonal namazake that truly ushers in the season.  In the next month we’ll be offering the full complement of  available Hiyaoroshi at two of  our tastings as well as a visit from our friend Mr. Yageta from the Fukumitsuya Brewery in Ishikawa and a first-time tasting of a delicious sake made from the usually-reserved-for-shochu black koji .

Saturday, November 6, 2010, 5-7pm

Hiyaoroshi Sake Tastings

Kikusui Junmai Ginjo Hiyaoroshi & Urakasumi Tokubetsu Junmai Hiyaoroshi

Friday, November 12, 2010, 6-8pm

Fukumitsuya Brewery Sake Tasting (Ishikawa)

Kagatobi Junmai Ginjo & Kuroobi Do Do Junmai Yamahai

Saturday, November 20, 2010, 5-7 pm

Japan Prestige Sake Association Sake Tasting

Sawanoi Junmai Hiyaoroshi & Wakatake Onikoroshi Tokubetsu Junmai Hiyaoroshi

Saturday, November 27, 2010, 5-7pm

Black Koji Sake Tasting

Kurokabuto Junmai Daiginjo (Fukuoka)

After we kick off the month with our third annual Sake Day celebration, October becomes “Akita Sake Month” at SAKAYA.  We want our sake enthusiast friends to learn more this region where so much great sake is produced so we’ve partnered with the Akita Prefecture Tourism Office to dedicate this month’s tastings to familiarizing you with a few of these delicious brews.

Once you’ve tasted their sake, you’ll most likely want to visit the source!

Friday, October 1, 2010, 6-8pm

Sake Day Celebration

Saturday, October 2, 2010, 5-7pm

Saiya Brewery Tasting

Yuki no Bosha Junmai Ginjo & Yuri Masamune

Saturday, October 9, 2010, 5-7pm

Kodama Brewery Tasting

Tenko Junmai Daiginjo

Saturday, October 16, 2010, 5-7pm

Akita Seishu Brewery Tasting

Dewatsuru Junmai Kimoto

Saturday, October 23, 2010, 5-7pm

Asamai Brewery Sake Tasting

Ama no To Tokubetsu Junmai

Saturday, October 30, 2010, 5-7pm

Hinomaru Brewery & Tenju Brewery Sake Tastings

Manabito Junmai Daiginjo & Chokaisan Junmai Daiginjo

October 1st is Sake Day (Nihonshu no Hi) in Japan and we’ll be celebrating with our third annual party at SAKAYA on Friday evening, October 1 from 6-8pm.  The festivities will feature “ample samples” of a selection of six of our favorite sake from World Sake Imports, embodying a set of distinctly different styles from across Japan.

With Labor Day behind us, the Fall season unofficially begins.   Our September schedule begins with two tastings this week highlighting dramatically different sake from opposite ends of Japan.  We’ll then debut a new nigorizake from Akita and last, but not least we’ll have a TBD visiting brewer (or brewers) pouring their new offerings…

Thursday, September 9, 2010, 6 to 8pm

Sake Story Imports Sake Tasting

Housui “Fragrant Water” Tokubetsu Junmai (Tokushima)

Saturday, September 11, 2010, 5 to 7pm

Shindo Brewery Sake Tasting

Ura-Gasanryu “Koka” Honjozo (Yamagata)

Saturday, September 18, 2010, 5 to 7pm

Winebow Imports  Sake Tasting

Chokaisan Junmai Ginjo Nigori (Akita)

Friday, September 24, 2010, 6 to 8pm

Mutual Trading Sake Tasting

John Gauntner knows sake.   In fact he knows it like no one else we know.   The opportunity to learn all about sake directly from this master sake expert, educator, and writer is an opportunity that sake enthusiasts shouldn’t miss, particularly when you don’t have to go to Japan to participate.

For a rare second time this year, John’s “Sake Professionals Course” will be offered stateside in Portland OR,  November 7-10.   Not only will you learn all there is to know about sake and meet fellow sake lovers,  you’ll also get to visit one of America’s few sake breweries to see the process in action.

If you can’t make it to Japan for the course in late January (as we did four years ago), we highly recommend the trip to Oregon!  It truly will change your life.   For details click here.

As we enter the proverbial “dog days” of  summer, our tastings for the month have been designed to  feature sake that will transport the mind to cool, refreshing places…

Saturday, August 7, 2010, 5 to 7pm

Summer Namazake Tasting

Ohyama Tokubetsu Junmai Nama (Yamagata) & Tsukino Katsuru “Kohakuko” Junmai Ginjo Nama (Kyoto)

Saturday, August 14, 2010, 5 to 7pm

Kubota Sake Tasting

Kubota Senju Honjozo & Kubota Hekiju Junmai Daiginjo (Niigata)

Thursday, August 19, 2010, 6 to 8pm

World Sake Imports Sake Tasting

Dewazakura Dewa San San Junmai Ginjo & Dewazakura Omachi Junmai Ginjo (Yamagata)

Saturday, August 28, 2010, 5 to 7pm

Takaisami Tokubetsu Junmai (Tottori) & Kaiun Junmai Ginjo (Shizuoka)

It’s summer in the city and the temperatures are climbing so we’re focused on bringing you tastings of sake that offer refreshing respites from the heat and humidity as well as some new seasonal unpasteurized sake (namazake) that are sure to please the palate and slake the thirst…

Thursday, July 1, 2010, 6 to 8pm

Narutotai Ginjo Nama Genshu Sake (Tokushima)

Thursday, July 8, 2010, 6 to 8pm

Joto Sake Tasting

Ban Ryu Honjozo (Yamagata)

Saturday, July 17, 2010, 5 to 7pm

Light Sake for Summer Drinking

Kudoki Jozu Junmai Ginjo (Yamagata) and Sawanoi Junmai Ginjo (Tokyo)

Saturday, July 24, 2010, 5 to 7pm

Japan Prestige Sake Tasting

Summer Namazake

Saturday, July 31, 2010, 5 to 7pm

Asahi Shuzo Brewery Tasting

Dassai Sake (Yamaguchi)

With Summer just around the corner, our tastings for June offer opportunities to sample some great sake for warm weather refreshment …

Saturday, June 5, 2010, 4 to 6pm

Kotsuzumi Sake Tasting

Kotsuzumi Tokubetsu Junmai & Kotsuzumi Junmai Daiginjo (Hyogo)

Friday, June 11, 2010, 6 to 8pm

Chokaisan  Sake Tasting

Chokaisan Junmai Daiginjo (Akita)

Friday, June 18, 2010, 6 to 8pm

World Sake Tasting

Dewazakura Omachi Ginjo (Yamagata)

Saturday, June 26, 2010, 4 to 6pm

Yuzu and Ume Sake Tasting

Ume no Yado Yuzushu  & Umeshu  (Nara)

We had the privilege of collaborating with our friends at neighboring vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy on a special sake dinner on Thursday,  May 20.  It was the first time that we’ve worked with a restaurant and we’re happy to report that the dinner (which sold out within hours after it’s announcement) and sake pairings with each dish were enjoyed by both seatings of enthusiastic diners.  After starting off with a “snack” of jalapeno hush puppies paired with the dry style  Dewazakura Tobiroku sparkling sake, guests selected an Appetizer,  Entree, and Dessert each of which was accompanied by a complementing sake pre-selected by SAKAYA.

At each seating, Rick gave a brief introduction to premium sake and highlighted the general idea behind the selection of the evening’s  food friendly sake.   Diners’ questions and comments were then sought and answered throughout the evening as they arose.

We would like to express our profound appreciation to Chef Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy for inviting us to work with her and her staff.  It was a wonderful experience for us and we hope that it has created some new excitement about premium sake.  We also highly recommend that you visit the restaurant to enjoy Amanda’s amazing food!