Shichiken Sora no Irodori Sparkling

Shichiken calls the Sora no Irodori Sparkling (七賢 空ノ彩スパークリング) a colourful sake renaissance for a high-class dining experience: like the rainbow conjured up by this sake, the combination of modern and traditional sake techniques creates a diverse spectrum of flavours arcing across the palate punctuated by a spritely mousse. Vibrant through the mid-palate with notes of pear, cinnamon, toast, hay, fig, fresh almond, white flowers and a hint of melon executed with richness, depth and freshness cut away by a super-refreshing, short finish. Fine bubbles from the secondary fermentation in the bottle create an elegant mouthfeel with some grip. Try pairing it with pork dishes and blue cheese.

Awards:

• Silver Medal at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2023 Sparkling Category
• Bronze Medal at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2023 Sparkling Category

Yamanashi Meijō Brewery is in Hakushu-cho, Hokuto City, in Yamanashi Prefecture. Hokuto is famous for its quiet greenery and natural beauty. Rain and snowmelt from Mount Kaikoma (甲斐駒ヶ岳 Kaikoma-ga-take) upstream seep into the ground and are slowly polished over a long period by layers of granite. The resulting subsoil water is soft and transparent. This area has whiskey distilleries, mineral water factories, long-established Japanese confectionery stores, and confectionery manufacturers, all of which enjoy the rich blessings of local nature.

The brewery was founded in 1750 by Kitahara Ibei (北原伊兵衛), a descendant of the Kitahara family who had been brewing sake for generations in Shinshū (modern-day Nagano Prefecture). The name 'Shichiken' (七賢) was given to their sake in 1835 after the Lord of Takato Castle gave the brewery a pair of fanlights entitled "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" as a gift. The backroom of the main building, which the Meiji Emperor used as his temporary lodging during his visit in 1880, has been designated as a national heritage site and is open to the public along with the brewery. In recent years, the brewery has become popular as a tourist spot where visitors can spend a leisurely time, as it operates a restaurant that serves dishes using fermentation technology and a café that uses koji sugar, a sweetener made from rice malt.