***This event is part of the UK’s National Sake Week, running from April 15th – 21st.

Sake is popping up all over the wine lists of Michelin star restaurants in the UK and globally, as sommeliers and chefs fall in love with its charms and exceptional food pairing versatility. Sake offers just as much complexity, depth and breadth as wine and reveals a whole new range of aroma and flavour profiles. Like wine, it is a fermented beverage and has an average ABV of 14-16%, but has no tannins and boasts lots of umami (‘savoury deliciousness’) that make it a secret weapon for matching with all types of food.

If you’ve been on the fence about sake and not sure where to begin exploring this exciting beverage category, this is the class for you. Our sake and wine educator Sarah will introduce you to sake and share how it can be a great alternative for food pairings that are traditionally difficult with wine. During this class you will taste six premium sake across a range of styles curated specifically to appeal to wine lovers’ palates, and accompanied by fine cheeses selected to showcase sake’s food pairing prowess.

This class is perfect for those with experience of wine who haven’t had a chance to explore much sake yet, or who have tried some sake but weren’t sure about it – sake is quite delicate and must be stored carefully, so many people who think they don’t like sake unfortunately experienced old or improperly stored product. Be sure to give sake another chance if you fall into this category!

About the Instructor and School:

Dr. Sarah Stewart teaches sake, wine and cheese at West London Wine School. She is a WSET Certified Sake Educator and Academy of Cheese Instructor, judges for the International Wine Challenge Sake division and the Great Taste Awards, holds extensive sake and cheese qualifications, and serves 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. You can find her @sakestudies on Instagram.

West London Wine School is a local, independent and award-winning sake, wine 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. We have an average review score of 5 stars on Trip Advisor and are recipients of the 2018 WSET Educator of the Year Award for top wine education provider globally and the International Wine Challenge’s 2023 Consumer Educator of the Year Award.