Sake and cheese pairing is rapidly gaining popularity both in Japan and abroad. Come experience this winning combination for yourself, while also learning the general principles of how to pair sake with food. Matching sake with cheese is much easier than with wine, thanks to the power of umami (savouriness, the “fifth taste” present in both cheese and sake), shared flavours from fermentation (both cheese and sake are naturally fermented products), and sake’s gentler acidity.
Visiting sake educator Sarah Stewart will cover the basics of sake and cheese production and share stories of the artisanal producers in Japan behind each premium sake we showcase. You will taste some special sake styles (junmai, kimoto/yamahai, and aged sake) that have lots of umami savouriness and pair beautifully with cheese. You will also learn about sake and food pairing principles – sake of course goes perfectly with Japanese food, but did you know it is a great match for Italian too? You'll pick up lots of useful information to help you choose your perfect sake and cheese match and discover which sake styles you enjoy most.
On the evening you will taste six different premium sake across a range of styles, accompanied by six artisanal Italian cheeses and charcuterie.

Speaker Bio:

Sarah is a WSET Certified Sake Educator and runs the sake program at West London Wine School. She is one of only three instructors worldwide for the advanced Sake Scholar course on sake regionality, and also teaches Academy of Cheese qualification courses and a variety of different cheese pairing classes with wine and sake. Sarah judges for the International Wine Challenge – Sake Division and the UK’s Great Taste Awards, and also serves as the British Sake Association’s Membership & Events Officer. She lived in Japan for two years and returns annually to do further immersive study in sake breweries. You can find her @sakestudies on Instagram.

Admission: £45 per person