Asahi Shuzo Co., maker of popular Japanese sake brand Dassai, will open a shop in Paris as early as next spring in collaboration with renowned French chef Joel Robuchon.
The Paris outlet will sell Dassai and operate a bar, with Robuchon to oversee a restaurant that will pair the rice wine with French cuisine.
It is rare for a domestic sake brewery to open a shop overseas.
At a news conference in Tokyo in October, Robuchon said Dassai, which is made in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, went well with his dishes. He hoped people would enjoy French food and Japanese sake at affordable prices.
"We want to attract people who do not have any particular interest in Japan. We hope to expand the scope of Japanese food and blend it with local culture," Asahi Shuzo President Kazuhiro Sakurai said.
The Paris shop will be jointly managed by Asahi Shuzo and Robuchon. The sake maker originally planned to open an outlet in the French capital in 2014.