The Assemblage Club, a sake brewery in Kyoto, and My Sake World, a spot where individuals, restaurants, and businesses can create their own blends of sake, were realized with the cooperation of three Kyoto sake breweries. We interviewed the breweries and people who are cooperating with and supporting this unprecedented sake blending project, to find out why they decided to participate and how it has affected their lives.
1. A wide variety of wines that go well with vegetable dishes [Gojimatsu]
Gojyaku Group is a very popular izakaya (Japanese-style bar) that uses vegetables freshly picked every morning from its own farm in Kyoto. Gojyumatsu is one of the 11 izakayas in Kyoto City, and its concept is to serve vegetable dishes that go well with wine. The restaurant is located in a traditional Kyoto machiya (traditional townhouse) in Kawaramachi Shijo, with an impressive large wine cellar just outside the entrance.
-How is Gojyumatsu positioned within the Gojyuke Group?
Mr. Nishimura: "Our store is called 'Vegetables and Wine,' so we specialize in wine more than others. We have wines from various countries and types, plus natural wines. We have a wide range of cuisine, from Western to Chinese, Korean, Italian, and French flavors, and we use spices and herbs to match our wines.
The very popular original blended sake [Natsuyu]
-The Gojyu Group has been offering your company's original blended sake, Natsuyu, which was planned by the Assemblage Club. How has the response been?
Mr. Nishimura said, "In addition to wine, we also offer a few types of sake, but we often have customers order Natsuyu as their first toast or other drink, especially if it is a sake that can only be drunk here. It is also very popular among foreigners.
-How do you feel about the taste of Natsuyu?
Mr. Nishimura: "It is slightly sweet and sour, refreshing, and very easy to drink. It gives the impression of being a bit like wine. It was well received by customers who do not usually drink sake, and some said they liked it so much they wanted to take a bottle home! Some even said they liked it so much they wanted to take a bottle home!
-Has there been any change since you offered [Natsuyu]?
Mr. Nishimura: "Probably, among the Gojyuka Group, we have the most out of all of them. We get orders often, which leads to higher customer spend.
［Original sake made by Nishimura himself at My Sake World
-We recently had a sake blending experience at [My Sake World].
Mr. Nishimura: "It was fun! I had no concept of blending existing alcohol, so at first I wondered how it would turn out. But when I tried it, I was surprised at how well it came together. It was like combining two originally delicious sake and combining the best of both worlds. I tried it with other staff members, and they all said their own sake was the best (laughs). (Laughs) "That's what happens when you choose the sake you like and make it yourself," he says.
-Nishimura-san's blended sake is served at the restaurant as [ISOMATSU].
Mr. Nishimura: "We blended a sweet and sour sake as the main ingredient with a light-tasting junmai daiginjo to go well with the restaurant's dishes that go with the wine. We think we have created a bottle with a refreshing sweet and sour taste, a bit like yogurt, and a strong sense of rice flavor that only sake can provide. We have also received a positive response from our customers, who say, "There is such a sake! We are happy to hear that. We serve it chilled, but as it approaches room temperature, the umami gradually increases, and some customers say they prefer it this way. People are interested in ordering this original sake, which can only be found here, and they share a cup of sake with their friends and share their impressions of the sake.
Natsuyu: 1,700 yen per glass, 2,000 yen per sake; ISOMATSU: 1,700 yen per glass, 2,000 yen per sake
Carpaccio of leafy onion and wild cherry yellowtail with yogurt, herb and lemon zest sauce - 1,500 yen; arugula tarte flambée - 1,800 yen
I can recommend it with all my heart because it's my own sake.
-Finally, what is your outlook for the future?
Mr. Nishimura: "As for sake, we are not a specialty sake store, so our selection is limited, but we would like to offer a selection of original sake, as well as interesting seasonal sake and sake that goes well with our cuisine. I think original sake is the best to recommend, and I can put my own feelings into the sake I make, so it appeals to my customers! I am very happy to be able to offer my own original sake.
I would like to tour sake breweries with customers and offer them "hands-on" experiences. ［I would like to visit sake breweries with customers and offer them 'hands-on' experiences. I think it would be interesting if we could do some sake-related experiences together.
The Gojyu Family Group prepares fresh vegetables harvested every morning from the farms it manages, and cooks them into dishes that go well with sake. Sake is a new addition to these prized vegetables.
The staff confidently recommends not only food and wine, but also sake, which increases customer satisfaction and the overall appeal of the restaurant.
