Nagai Sake Brewery and DENHAM Collaborate to Promote Japanese Sake Culture in Cortina, Italy
Nagai Sake Brewery has launched a project to promote Japanese sake culture in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, through a partnership with premium denim brand DENHAM. In collaboration with a luxury hotel in the host city of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the project presents the sake brand "Mizubasho" as a cultural experience, centered on the shared value of craftsmanship. This initiative creates new value for Japanese culture by integrating space, attire, and taste.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 19, 2026 at 19:23
- 🔍 Collected: May 19, 2026 at 11:01
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 19, 2026 at 11:16 (14 min after Collected)
Nagai Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kawaba Village, Gunma Prefecture; President: Noriyoshi Nagai), which works on creating new value for sake under the theme of "Tradition and Innovation," has launched a project to promote Japanese sake culture in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, in partnership with the premium denim brand DENHAM, which upholds the philosophies of "The truth is in the details" and "Worship tradition, destroy convention."
This initiative is part of a hospitality collaboration with the Ambra Cortina Luxury & Fashion Boutique Hotel, located in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Northern Italy, the host city of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In this place where people from all over the world gather, the aim is to present sake not merely as a beverage, but as a cultural experience woven from climate, water, rice, and fermentation.
Furthermore, the co-creation with DENHAM, which values craftsmanship and a keen aesthetic for detail, resonates with the spirit and skill underlying sake brewing. The intersection of both brands' values aims to create new cultural expressions that transcend conventional boundaries.
Co-creation Centered on Craftsmanship and Cultural Dialogue
Both Nagai Sake Brewery and DENHAM have long emphasized craftsmanship and the succession of cultural values. This project aims not just to provide products, but to create a space to experience Japanese culture through taste, materials, and spatial experience. Although from different fields, the dialogue between the two, who share sincerity and an aesthetic sense for creation, is generating new value.
The hotel will offer Nagai Sake Brewery's representative sake series, "Mizubasho." In addition to the still type "Mizubasho Junmai Daiginjo 40," guests can enjoy a variety of styles including the sparkling sake "MIZUBASHO PURE," made with in-bottle secondary fermentation, and original cocktails based on Mizubasho.
"Mizubasho" is a brand that embodies Nagai Sake Brewery's philosophy of expressing the beauty of the land as sake, characterized by harmony with nature, clarity, and a balanced taste. Each glass quietly breathes the Japanese view of nature woven by water, rice, and climate.
Spirit of Tradition and Innovation
Founded in 1886, Nagai Sake Brewery has inherited traditional sake brewing for about 140 years, nurtured by the clear water from the headstream of the Tone River and a rich natural environment. Its journey has not been merely about preservation but has always been accompanied by a challenge for innovation. A single bottle of sake is born by layering delicate skill and sensibility in every process, from selecting raw material rice to milling, koji making, and fermentation management.
This stance of pursuing both respect for tradition and evolving craftsmanship deeply resonates with DENHAM's own manufacturing, which, under the philosophy of "The truth is in the details," thoroughly addresses all aspects of material, sewing, and tailoring while respecting tradition and constantly updating established concepts. Common to both is an attitude of finding value in the invisible parts and polishing the essence without sparing time and effort.
Promoting Sake Culture as a Spatial Experience
In this project, the sake experience is naturally integrated as part of the hospitality space, and hotel staff wearing DENHAM's original pieces create a consistent worldview throughout the space. These original pieces were inspired by Japanese happi coats and are symbolic reinterpretations of the spirit of Japanese culture in a modern context.
The Lanterna bar within the hotel offers a menu experience inspired by Japanese food and sake. Centered on the sake experience, the space, attire, and taste quietly overlap to produce an integrated time.
Furthermore, original barrels, masu cups, and sake vessels created for this collaboration are displayed in the hotel as symbols of its worldview. These are not for sale but are arranged as symbols of the resonating spirit of valuing Japanese and Italian history and culture, and the intersection of their values.
Mr. Yasuaki Negishi, Representative and Creative Director, DENHAM GROUP
"Sake contains nature, time, and human will. Through our collaboration with Nagai Sake Brewery, I am proud to share a craft deeply rooted in Japan with respect in an international context."
Mr. Noriyoshi Nagai, President, Nagai Sake Brewery
"The fusion of clothing, food, and shelter that resonates with the senses. The collaboration with DENHAM, which embodies European heritage and Japanese denim culture, is truly a fusion of tradition and innovation. Through the common language of respect for craftsmanship, I am delighted that our sake 'Mizubasho' has become a presence connecting 'people, places, and culture' in Cortina, Italy. We will continue to deliver the essence of Japanese culture to the world and create experiences that resonate with the senses."
The clear air, water, and alpine nature of Cortina d'Ampezzo, set against the backdrop of the Dolomites, strongly resonate with Nagai Sake Brewery's philosophy of valuing respect for nature.
This collaboration is an initiative where DENHAM, Nagai Sake Brewery, and the Ambra Cortina Luxury & Fashion Boutique Hotel share the values of creating a space where tradition, innovation, and human connection can be naturally experienced, and the succession of culture.
Nagai Sake Brewery will continue to promote the transmission of cultural value through sake both domestically and internationally.
・About DENHAM
DENHAM is a global premium brand influenced by European heritage and Japanese denim culture. With craftsmanship, precision, and respect for tradition at its core, it views fashion as a long-term cultural practice. It continues to explore expressions of craft beyond products through curated collaborations across fashion, art, and hospitality.
http://www.denhamjapan.com/
http://www.denhamthejeanmaker.com/
・About Ambra Cortina Luxury & Fashion Boutique Hotel
A fashion boutique hotel located in the center of Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. It welcomes international guests attracted to craft, design, and alpine culture by fusing local heritage with contemporary design.
https://www.hotelambracortina.it/en/
・About Nagai Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1886. Since the first generation, captivated by the rich nature of Kawaba Village, Gunma, and the subsoil water from Mt. Hotaka in the Tone River headstream area, started brewing, the company has pursued "clean sake brewing that expresses local natural beauty" for 140 years. It brews two brands, "Mizubasho" and "Tanigawadake," and has won 19 gold medals at the Annual Japan Sake Awards. Its flagship sparkling sake, "MIZUBASHO PURE," won the top "Jury's Award" in the sparkling category at "Kura Master 2024." With "Tradition and Innovation" as its philosophy, it pursues new possibilities for sake such as sparkling and vintage sakes. It advocates its unique "NAGAI STYLE" concept of enjoying four styles of sake with food. Through the "MIZUBASHO Artist Series," it also contributes to environmental conservation, women's empowerment support, and sustainable community development. Furthermore, based at "SHINKA," which includes a tasting room and brewing research institute, it practices sustainable sake brewing in symbiosis with the local community. It continues its efforts to sublimate the traditional culture of sake into new, world-class value.
Official Site/Social Media: https://lit.link/nagaisake
Press releases from Nagai Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/searchrlp/company_id/60099
This initiative is part of a hospitality collaboration with the Ambra Cortina Luxury & Fashion Boutique Hotel, located in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Northern Italy, the host city of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In this place where people from all over the world gather, the aim is to present sake not merely as a beverage, but as a cultural experience woven from climate, water, rice, and fermentation.
Furthermore, the co-creation with DENHAM, which values craftsmanship and a keen aesthetic for detail, resonates with the spirit and skill underlying sake brewing. The intersection of both brands' values aims to create new cultural expressions that transcend conventional boundaries.
Co-creation Centered on Craftsmanship and Cultural Dialogue
Both Nagai Sake Brewery and DENHAM have long emphasized craftsmanship and the succession of cultural values. This project aims not just to provide products, but to create a space to experience Japanese culture through taste, materials, and spatial experience. Although from different fields, the dialogue between the two, who share sincerity and an aesthetic sense for creation, is generating new value.
The hotel will offer Nagai Sake Brewery's representative sake series, "Mizubasho." In addition to the still type "Mizubasho Junmai Daiginjo 40," guests can enjoy a variety of styles including the sparkling sake "MIZUBASHO PURE," made with in-bottle secondary fermentation, and original cocktails based on Mizubasho.
"Mizubasho" is a brand that embodies Nagai Sake Brewery's philosophy of expressing the beauty of the land as sake, characterized by harmony with nature, clarity, and a balanced taste. Each glass quietly breathes the Japanese view of nature woven by water, rice, and climate.
Spirit of Tradition and Innovation
Founded in 1886, Nagai Sake Brewery has inherited traditional sake brewing for about 140 years, nurtured by the clear water from the headstream of the Tone River and a rich natural environment. Its journey has not been merely about preservation but has always been accompanied by a challenge for innovation. A single bottle of sake is born by layering delicate skill and sensibility in every process, from selecting raw material rice to milling, koji making, and fermentation management.
This stance of pursuing both respect for tradition and evolving craftsmanship deeply resonates with DENHAM's own manufacturing, which, under the philosophy of "The truth is in the details," thoroughly addresses all aspects of material, sewing, and tailoring while respecting tradition and constantly updating established concepts. Common to both is an attitude of finding value in the invisible parts and polishing the essence without sparing time and effort.
Promoting Sake Culture as a Spatial Experience
In this project, the sake experience is naturally integrated as part of the hospitality space, and hotel staff wearing DENHAM's original pieces create a consistent worldview throughout the space. These original pieces were inspired by Japanese happi coats and are symbolic reinterpretations of the spirit of Japanese culture in a modern context.
The Lanterna bar within the hotel offers a menu experience inspired by Japanese food and sake. Centered on the sake experience, the space, attire, and taste quietly overlap to produce an integrated time.
Furthermore, original barrels, masu cups, and sake vessels created for this collaboration are displayed in the hotel as symbols of its worldview. These are not for sale but are arranged as symbols of the resonating spirit of valuing Japanese and Italian history and culture, and the intersection of their values.
Mr. Yasuaki Negishi, Representative and Creative Director, DENHAM GROUP
"Sake contains nature, time, and human will. Through our collaboration with Nagai Sake Brewery, I am proud to share a craft deeply rooted in Japan with respect in an international context."
Mr. Noriyoshi Nagai, President, Nagai Sake Brewery
"The fusion of clothing, food, and shelter that resonates with the senses. The collaboration with DENHAM, which embodies European heritage and Japanese denim culture, is truly a fusion of tradition and innovation. Through the common language of respect for craftsmanship, I am delighted that our sake 'Mizubasho' has become a presence connecting 'people, places, and culture' in Cortina, Italy. We will continue to deliver the essence of Japanese culture to the world and create experiences that resonate with the senses."
The clear air, water, and alpine nature of Cortina d'Ampezzo, set against the backdrop of the Dolomites, strongly resonate with Nagai Sake Brewery's philosophy of valuing respect for nature.
This collaboration is an initiative where DENHAM, Nagai Sake Brewery, and the Ambra Cortina Luxury & Fashion Boutique Hotel share the values of creating a space where tradition, innovation, and human connection can be naturally experienced, and the succession of culture.
Nagai Sake Brewery will continue to promote the transmission of cultural value through sake both domestically and internationally.
・About DENHAM
DENHAM is a global premium brand influenced by European heritage and Japanese denim culture. With craftsmanship, precision, and respect for tradition at its core, it views fashion as a long-term cultural practice. It continues to explore expressions of craft beyond products through curated collaborations across fashion, art, and hospitality.
http://www.denhamjapan.com/
http://www.denhamthejeanmaker.com/
・About Ambra Cortina Luxury & Fashion Boutique Hotel
A fashion boutique hotel located in the center of Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. It welcomes international guests attracted to craft, design, and alpine culture by fusing local heritage with contemporary design.
https://www.hotelambracortina.it/en/
・About Nagai Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1886. Since the first generation, captivated by the rich nature of Kawaba Village, Gunma, and the subsoil water from Mt. Hotaka in the Tone River headstream area, started brewing, the company has pursued "clean sake brewing that expresses local natural beauty" for 140 years. It brews two brands, "Mizubasho" and "Tanigawadake," and has won 19 gold medals at the Annual Japan Sake Awards. Its flagship sparkling sake, "MIZUBASHO PURE," won the top "Jury's Award" in the sparkling category at "Kura Master 2024." With "Tradition and Innovation" as its philosophy, it pursues new possibilities for sake such as sparkling and vintage sakes. It advocates its unique "NAGAI STYLE" concept of enjoying four styles of sake with food. Through the "MIZUBASHO Artist Series," it also contributes to environmental conservation, women's empowerment support, and sustainable community development. Furthermore, based at "SHINKA," which includes a tasting room and brewing research institute, it practices sustainable sake brewing in symbiosis with the local community. It continues its efforts to sublimate the traditional culture of sake into new, world-class value.
Official Site/Social Media: https://lit.link/nagaisake
Press releases from Nagai Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/searchrlp/company_id/60099