Sillage x Wakura Sake Brewery — Sake Pairing Dinner Report
- ohiranao
- 42 minutes ago
- 4 min read
On Friday, November 28th, Sillage welcomed Chairman Ikeda of Wakura Sake Brewery from Chiba Prefecture for a one-night-only sake pairing dinner.
Food and sake - the aroma, flavor, and aftertaste of each intermingled to create a deep marriage that is unique to Sillage, which weaves dishes based on the theme of fermentation.
■ Opening: "Freshly born" Takeoka Tokubetsu Junmai (new sake) "3 days after fermentation"
The first sip is a special pure rice sake that is freshly pressed just three days after being transferred to the tank .
The freshness, full-bodied sweetness, and rising fragrance of Chiba sake rice brought about a once-in-a-lifetime taste that can only be enjoyed at the brewery, eliciting gasps of amazement from the audience.
It was paired with Chef Munesada's " Sweet Shrimp Tartare Tart / Rillettes and Jerusalem Artichoke Chips." The fresh taste of the new sake, with its slight effervescence, subtly enhanced the aroma of the amuse-bouche and the wintery flavor of the ingredients, and the story of this pairing began.
■ Cold appetizer: Marinated striped jack × Takeoka Junmai Ginjo (Gohyakumangoku)
The next cold appetizer was " marinated striped jack with fermented tomato jelly, bergamot-flavored sauce and dill oil."
This is paired with "Takeoka Junmai Ginjo (Gohyakumangoku)", which is characterized by its clean acidity and crisp aftertaste. The elegant umami of the striped jack's fat, the complexity of the fermented tomatoes, the acidity of bergamot and the freshness of dill are combined with the elegant acidity and clarity of the sake, giving the dish depth.
■ Warm appetizer: Steamed red spotted grouper with Takeoka Junmai Daiginjo (Omachi)
The hot appetizer is " Steamed Red Seabass / Crown chrysanthemum and clam butter Monte sauce"
This dish is paired with a Junmai Daiginjo sake made with Omachi sake rice from Chef Munesada's hometown of Okayama. The slightly sweet sake's mellow and full-bodied flavor envelops the umami of the fish and the depth of the butter sauce, creating a marriage that enhances the lingering aroma.
■ Meat dish: Roast duck with Seisen Junmai Unfiltered Nama Genshu (1 year aged)
The main dish is roast duck . The complex sauce, made from duck stock, black vinegar, and green onion oil, offers a rich flavor that combines sourness, umami, and richness.
It is paired with " Seizen Junmai Unfiltered Nama Genshu (1 year aged)" .
Unfiltered raw sake is unpasteurized and unfiltered, and its flavor changes over time, becoming mellower and more complex.
The umami and complexity brought about by a year of quiet aging at low temperature resonate with the richness of the duck meat and the complexity of the sauce, resulting in a dish brimming with the joy of pairing, where food and sake enhance each other.
■ Dessert: Wagura Yuzu Sake with Persimmon, Hojicha, Yuzu, and Chocolate
The dessert was a typical Sillage arrangement of persimmon, roasted green tea, yuzu, and chocolate .
The refreshing aroma and sweet-and-sour taste of Wakuro Sake Brewery's yuzu liquor combined with the citrus nuances in the dessert led to a pleasant finish that was perfect for the final chapter of winter.
At the end of the event, we enjoyed freshly baked financiers, a Sillage specialty.
■ A conversation with Chairman Ikeda of Wakura Sake Brewery
On the day, Chairman Ikeda of Wakura Sake Brewery also visited us and spoke directly to us about his thoughts on sake brewing, rice, koji, and yeast, as well as the "character" of each bottle of sake.
Smiles, nods, and conversations filled the table. The rich time spent enjoying sake and food was an unforgettable learning experience for the Sillage team.
■ Fermentation meets fermentation - An evening where Sillage and sake come together
Sake is a rare type of alcohol made through multiple parallel fermentation processes using koji and yeast. Sillage's cuisine also revolves around fermentation, weaving together aromas and flavors.
When these two come together, it transcends the boundaries between Japanese and Western cuisine, creating a new balance and lingering aftertaste between the dish and the sake that has never been seen before.
It was an evening where the food and sake, the brewers and the guests, and the people around the table all naturally connected, truly sharing a "Sillage" - the lingering aroma of the food.
■ Conclusion
Thank you very much to everyone who participated.
Sillage will continue to hold events themed around experiences that connect people through food .
Please look forward to our next guide.
The Sillage Team
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