The 4th "Niigata Dassai" Brewed with Niigata Rice and "Shunyo" (4MMP) Spreading Nationwide

On Saturday, August 7, Reiwa 8, the "Gathering of Carefully Brewed Sake Made with Niigata Rice, 4th Edition" will be held at the Nagaoka Grand Hotel.

This event is an exchange event that brings together producers, breweries, and consumers to showcase the new charm of sake culture, with the theme of the potential of sake rice from Niigata Prefecture.

The biggest highlight this time is the opportunity to taste sake made with Niigata-grown Yamada Nishiki, used for the world-renowned brand "Dassai," and the new variety "Shunyo" (which generates lychee and Muscat aromas from rice, 4MMP), which has been gaining attention both domestically and internationally as "rice wine" in recent years.

Yamada Nishiki is known as the king of sake rice, and high-quality cultivation is progressing in Niigata Prefecture, making it a promising new production area for the global market.

Last January, we held the "New Year Celebration with Niigata Dassai" event. Attendees came from afar, including the Maldives, Tokyo, and Tochigi.

For the "Dassai Moon Project," the author of the manga "Space Brothers," Chūya Koyama, designed a large kite, and Dassai members and producers were present.

Meanwhile, "Shunyo" is a Niigata-developed variety characterized by low protein content. It is also called "rice wine" due to its refreshing aroma reminiscent of white wine and its light taste, which differ from conventional sake, creating new sake fans.

Breweries from Akita to Nagasaki are brewing new sake using Shunyo as a raw material, with a wide variety of tastes and aromas depending on the brewery. Foreigners also love it as "rice wine"! Sumikawa Brewery in Yamaguchi Prefecture brews with Shunyo cultivated by agricultural instructor Tadao Iwabuchi.

Currently, not only in Niigata Prefecture but also in breweries across the country, including Yamaguchi, Shimane, Kochi, Fukuoka, Tottori, Kanagawa, and Chiba prefectures, are challenging themselves with Shunyo, and this movement is expanding year by year.

On the day of the event, "Dassai" made with Niigata-grown Yamada Nishiki will be featured, along with Shunyo sakes from across the country, including "Kagetora," "Toyo Bijin," "Amaori," "Mitsui no Kotobuki," "Chiyomusubi," and "Tashoukai."

Furthermore, as a welcome drink, "Honey Lemon Sake," newly developed by Hashimoto Apiary Co., Ltd. (Nagaoka City), will be unveiled for the first time. We will also introduce the challenge of new sake production utilizing local resources by a former non-farmer who became an beekeeper.

This is a mead made with sakura honey. It is a mead made from kentucky coffeetree, said to be the world's oldest alcoholic beverage. It is brewed with sake yeast.

Additionally, our special guest will be Daisuke Kobayashi, the brewery owner of Kaga no Sen Brewery, whose brewery was completely destroyed in the Itoigawa Great Fire of 2016 but was magnificently rebuilt with extensive support.

Mr. Kobayashi will speak about his gratitude to everyone across the country who supported the reconstruction and the power of sake to connect people.

Even though the brewery was completely destroyed and nothing remained of it, the sign that conveyed its history survived, along with Gohyaku Man Goku, which had been polished to 50%.

This event is characterized by direct interaction not only among breweries but also with sake rice producers and sake fans.

"Good sake comes from good rice."

It will be a night to experience that fundamental principle.

[Event Overview]

Date and Time Saturday, August 7, Reiwa 8 18:30 - 20:30 (Reception 17:30)

Venue Nagaoka Grand Hotel

Capacity 60 people (first-come, first-served)

Participation Fee Advance registration: 7,000 yen On the day: 8,000 yen

Please apply via QR code.

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