Japan is famous for its four distinct seasons, which influence all aspects of life. Winter is a very busy time in the sake world – this is the peak time for sake brewing, and freshly pressed sake (called shiboritate in Japanese) is a particular treat for this time of year. This style of sake is bottled straight off the press no intervention or modification, yielding big, bold and dynamic fresh flavours.

Winter is also the peak time of year for enjoying warm sake, so if you have been wanting to delve into this fascinating and delicious area of sake study, this is the class for you!

Our sake tutor Sarah Stewart will teach you a number of methods to easily warm sake at home, explain the various sake service temperatures and help you recognize the best styles of sake to showcase warmed up.

This class will be great for everyone from sake novices to aficionados and includes a tutored tasting along with a Powerpoint lecture covering winter seasonality in Japan and the unique elements of sake enjoyment at this time of year.

On the evening you will taste six different winter sake across a variety of styles and service temperatures, accompanied by fine cheeses and Japanese-influenced nibbles including a handmade seasonal wagashi (traditional Japanese sweet).

Cost: £45 per person

About the Instructor and School:

Sarah Stewart teaches on sake, wine and cheese at West London Wine School. She has extensive sake and wine qualifications, and also volunteers as the Membership & Events Officer for the British Sake Association. She lived in Japan for two years and returns annually to continue her beverage studies there. She has also trained in Urasenke chado, “The Way of Tea”, for the past 17 years, giving her hands-on experience in traditional Japanese methods of service and hospitality and a deep understanding of Japan. You can find her @sakestudies on Instagram.

West London Wine School is a local, independent and award-winning wine, sake, beer and cheese education company founded in 2010 and based in the heart of West London. Our courses and tastings focus on enjoying beverages whilst learning more in a relaxed and informal setting with friendly people and industry-leading tutors. If you know what you like and want to find out why, our tastings and courses provide the answer. In 2018 we received the prestigious WSET Educator of the Year Award for the top wine education provider globally, and have an average review score of 5 stars on Trip Advisor.