We say it every year, but can you believe it’s almost time for the brewing season to start winding down? Indeed, some brewers have already laid down their brewing tools and begun the cleanup as they now play the waiting game before moving toward bottling, labeling and shipping.
Soon enough the weather will start to warm and the festival season will be upon us. Some may have been lucky enough to attend the massive Sake No Jin event in Niigata Prefecture earlier this month. If you missed it, no problem there’s plenty more events coming down the pike, so get ready for another year of sake shenanigans!
But for now, here’s the news…
South Africa- Japanese officials are working to persuade South Africa to permit sake sales in Japanese standard 1.8 liter and 720ml bottles sizes.
South Africa currently bans the standard 1.8-liter isshōbin and 720-milliliter bottles, citing potential consumer confusion over Japanese units. At a JETRO seminar in Cape Town attended by officials and business leaders and brewers from nine prefectures, speakers highlighted rising local interest in sake alongside the global popularity of washoku cuisine as supporting factors for keeping the long-used sizes.
JETRO argued these sizes help brewers maintain quality and control costs. South African representatives welcomed the cultural insights, noting sake’s ceremonial role in Japan however a decision has yet to be made regarding the future of the bottle sizes in South Africa.
Source –NHK
JG: Naturally, there are two sides to everything. But I am finding it challenging to see why South Africa cannot be more flexible on this. It is simply unrealistic to ask the sake industry to – at this point in time – start to bottle in different bottle sizes. Hopefully they will see the light and then South Africans can start to enjoy sake.
Tottori- SIN must’ve been asleep at the wheel, because it seems we missed the announcement in October last year that Tottori Prefecture has joined the ever -growing list of regions approved for GI (geographical indication) status.
The Tottori Brewer’s Association is holding a launch event on March 19, linking venues in Tottori and Tokyo online. Attendees can sample certified GI Tottori sake for free and hear lectures and panel discussions by experts and brewers on the region’s brewing traditions and future.
