Syllabus (for in-person format)

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SYLLABUS

The Sake Scholar Course presents each sake making region within an integrated framework explaining the impact of history, the effect of geography, topography and climate, sake making techniques, and the ingredients in the glass. Each element is discussed in context to one another, and to the overarching trends that make up Japan’s sake making culture.

DAY ONE

MORNING

FOUNDATION MODULE:

The Foundation Module is designed to provide Sake Scholar students with a solid understanding of the various analytical components that will be utilized to examine each prefecture. It is designed to set up students from a position of strength and arm them with a knowledge to foray into the intricate world of sake regionality. For that matter, the notion of regionality / terroir and its existence in sake, a controversial issue even among the most knowledgeable wine pundits, is explored and debated from the national, regional, prefectural and brewery level.

9:00AM-11:00AM-: Orientation; Introduction and overview; Definition of terroir and the regionality in Japanese sake (pros and cons); History and geography of Japan; Sake making techniques; Ingredients.

11:00AM-12:00PM: Brewery study ‘CASE STUDIES’ focussing on sake ingredients, techniques and regionality extremes.

AFTERNOON

HOKKAIDO AND TOHOKU:

Hokkaido and Tohoku form Japan’s northern reaches and some of its harshest, coldest climate. It is home to the Yamagata Geographical Indication (GI), the Nanbu Toji, a multitude of cold-resistant sake rice strains, several important yeast strains that have helped shape its brewing culture, and given rise to a myriad of award-winning sake breweries.

1:00PM-3:00PM: Hokkaido and Tohoku Region - History, geography, topography, climate, prefectures, regional trends.

3:00PM-4:00PM: Tohoku brewery study ‘CASE STUDIES’ focussing on sake ingredients, techniques and regionality extremes.

DAY TWO

MORNING

CHUBU:

The Chubu region is a powerhouse of prefectures, many of which having clearly delineated sake making styles such as Nagano, Niigata, Ishikawa and Shizuoka. It is home to the Echigo and Noto Toji guilds, the Hakusan GI, heavy snows, and a multitude of mountainous landscapes that have shaped its history and sake making ways.

9:00AM-11:00AM: Chubu Region - History, geography, topography, climate, prefectures, regional trends

11:00AM-12:00PM: Chubu brewery study ‘CASE STUDIES’ focussing on sake ingredients, techniques and regionality extremes.

AFTERNOON

KANSAI:

The Kansai region is home to Kyoto and Hyogo, which together produce the overwhelming bulk of Japan’s sake. It is where Japan’s largest sake breweries reside, along with many jizake breweries. The region is synonymous with the birthplace of sake and the birth of many of sake’s most important sake making techniques. It is also home to Yamada Nishiki rice, the famous waters of Fushimi and Miyamizu, and the Tamba Toji guild.

1:00PM-3:00PM: Kansai Region - History, geography, topography, climate, prefectures, regional trends .

3:00PM-4:00PM: Kansai brewery study ‘CASE STUDIES’ focussing on sake ingredients, techniques and regionality extremes.

DAY THREE

MORNING

CHUGOKU AND KANTO:

The Chugoku is a region that helped shape the early beginnings of Ginjo making techniques. The oldest, and purest, sake rice in Japan, Okayama’s Omachi and Hiroshima’s Hattan Nishiki originated within this region. The mountain basin of Hiroshima’s Saijo region is known for its famous brewing waters, and Shimane’s historical roots are steeped in Japan’s earliest sake making lore.

The Kanto contains Japan’s largest plain, the Kanto Plain. This fertile land has long been important for rice cultivation and Japan’s largest city, Tokyo. The region is home to Japan’s oldest brewery, several important sake yeasts, and perhaps Japan’s most influential consumer market.

9:00AM-10:30AM: Chugoku Region - History, geography, topography, climate, prefectures, regional trends.

10:30AM-11:30AM: Kanto Region - History, geography, topography, climate, prefectures, regional trends.

11:30AM-12:00PM: Chugoku and Kanto brewery study ‘CASE STUDIES’ focussing on sake ingredients, techniques and regionality extremes.

AFTERNOON

SHIKOKU AND KYUSHU:

The four prefectures that comprise Shikoku are perhaps off-the-beaten sake path but contains a host of prolific brewers. Kochi stands out with its characteristic dry sake profile and list of unique yeasts.

Kyushu’s warmer southern climate has long made it more closely associated with Honkaku Shochu, Japan’s unique distilled spirits, than sake. The region is home to Japan’s first alcoholic GI’s for its shochu regions, but is also known for one of sake’s earliest Ginjo yeasts, the Kumamoto Kobo.

1:00PM-2:00PM: Shikoku - History, geography, topography, climate, prefectures, regional trends

2:00PM-3:00PM: Kyushu - History, geography, topography, climate, prefectures, regional trends

3:00PM-4:00PM Shikoku and Kyushu brewery study ‘CASE STUDIES’ focussing on sake ingredients, techniques and regionality extremes.