A healthy buzz characterized the atmosphere at the International Wine Challenge's Sake Discovery Tasting on April 19.
"This one is light and clean on the palate, with a bright finish," remarked one woman, examining a bottle of Ginrei Gassan Junmai-shu from Yamagata Prefecture.
The tasting, which was open to the public, showcased 468 entries in the sake division of the prestigious annual wine contest. Still outnumbered by the 15,000 wine entries from around the world, the number of brews in the sake category has grown exponentially since the beverage made its debut on the IWC tasting floor in 2006. At that time, there were only two sake entries, with Otokoyama Kuniyoshi from Hokkaido winning a gold medal.