Love Happy Hour - JFC Sake Expo 2012 - Intercontinental Hotel - Century City, CA

Love Happy Hour - JFC Sake Expo 2012 - Intercontinental Hotel - Century City, CA

JFC Sake Expo 2012

by Maren Swanson

The Annual JFC Sake Expo is an event I look forward to every year. The main celebrity, sake, is showcased and free-flowing. Having worked in food industry (particularly Japanese cuisine) for 6 plus years, I was ready to test my deteriorating sake knowledge and enjoy some spectacular samplers as well.

In addition to sake, beer samples and Asian inspired appetizers were catered to tasters and businesses last Saturday, May 19th at the Intercontinental Hotel in Century City. Spicy tuna filled cones along with salmon and caviar topped toasts were a couple of the tasty tapas that were passed to the hungry crowds of sippers.

The Osakaya Chobei bottle first caught my attention and I headed over to meet and greet the brewers. Osakaya Chobei is from the Ozeki brewery (you may recognize them from Ozeki Nigori - unfiltered sake) and is a daiginjo, meaning 50% or more of the rice is polished away. Generally speaking, the more the rice is polished, the more refined the flavor will be. After tasting the Chobei, the brewer prepared me another sample from a bottle I did not recognize. "Taru, do you know?" he questioned. I blanked for a second and then suddenly blurted out, "sake from Cedar barrels?!"
Hai! I was right. He seemed very pleased at my sake knowledge and the friendly pair behind the table proceeded to pour on.

Before I left, I was determined to check out some of my favorite sakes on the market: daiginjos. They happen to be more expensive, I know. They are also superb. So it was time for Moriko (image with the number 50), another daiginjo with flavors of jasmine flowers, plums and pears - elegant. And on my last round, I stopped to try the superstar itself, Gensai. Gensai can cost you anywhere from $200 and above at Japanese restaurants, so it was a real treat to taste yet a different daiginjo from Fukushima, and its cousin, Ken (both from Suehiro Sake Brewery Co.) The Gensai bottle boasts a regal label, with a higher alcohol content, aroma of ripe fruits and a slightly dry finish.

Whether you are a first time sake drinker or a sommelier, the JFC Sake Expo is an excellent opportunity to LEARN. We all have to start somewhere, so why not start with sake sampling at a swanky hotel? To learn more about JFC and future events, you can check out their website. Kanpai!