Event Held in Brussels to Promote Western Japan’s Sake Rice

Brussels, April 24 (Jiji Press)–An event was held in Brussels on Friday to promote a sake-brewing rice brand mainly produced in the western Japan prefecture of Hyogo. The event was held at the Japanese Embassy in Belgium in hopes of increasing recognition of sake in Europe. It was hosted by the embassy and the Paris office of the Hyogo prefectural government. At the event, which was attended by about 80 local business operators, sake enthusiasts and others, a rice producer and a researcher delivered a lecture on the history and cultivation methods of the Yamadanishiki rice brand, which was developed 90 years ago. Yamadanishiki’s large rice grains and low protein content make it ideal for brewing high-quality sake, according to the lecture. Some attendees asked about the impact of climate change on rice cultivation and on differences in quality depending on where the rice is produced. Sake made from Yamadanishiki, including “Miyamizu no Sato” by Hakutaka, a brewery headquartered in the Hyogo city of Nishinomiya, and “Shirasagi no Shiro” by Tanaka Shuzojo, a brewery based in the Hyogo city of Himeji, were served at a tasting session. “I didn’t know how much effort it takes to make rice for sake,” Joachim Grolleman, who works at a logistics company, said. “It was very interesting to know the story behind a glass of sake.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]