This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Los Angeles Sake Festival kicks off Saturday night
Yujji Matsumoto, certified master sake sommelier and the beverage manager for Kabuki restaurants, poses with his sake bottles.
(
Marla Schevker
)
Yuji Matsumoto's Sake Map
(
Courtesy of Yuji Matsumoto
)
Listen
3:49
Los Angeles Sake Festival kicks off Saturday night
Los Angeles Sake Festival kicks off Saturday night
Raise a glass and say "kampai!" Saturday night at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. It's the L.A. Sake Festival.
Promoters of the festival say the event will bring a Las Vegas Vibe to the region's largest sake tasting. It's an opportunity to sample more than 100 brands of sake and then sing karaoke.
Yuji Matsumoto is the beverage manager for Kabuki restaurants. He'll be there leading a sake tasting seminar at the festival. He dropped by KPCC's studios for a preview sake tasting. The brands he brought were Nanbu-Bijin, Mizbasho and Kurosawa. All three were delicious!
Matsumoto is starting a movement to taste sake in white wine glasses instead of the traditional ceramic cups. He says this provides a better opportunity to truly appreciate a sake's fragrance and taste.
He also claims that sake is good for you! Sure, you might get a bit drunk, but sake's anti-oxidants, he insists, are good for the skin.
Matsumoto has also created a special sake "map" which helps novice drinkers determine which type of sake to pair with different foods.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
