Many drinkers are flocking to a large fair that is underway in France to promote sake, or Japanese alcoholic beverages made from rice.
The 10th edition of the event is taking place in Paris through Monday. Visitors can sample sake from among more than 400 brands brought together from across Japan. The northeastern prefectures of Fukushima and Yamagata are taking part for the first time.
One visitor said the advice of sake producers helped him discern some subtleties in flavors. Another said sake bottles are really beautiful and that she likes the abundance of separate traces of flavor in sake she can sense each time she drinks.
One session featured a chef from a famed Paris restaurant preparing original dishes to pair with sake. Participants discussed sake’s compatibility with diverse food.
Organizers say sake exports to France have jumped more than six times in value compared to the level about a decade ago.
The event’s Founding-President Sylvain Huet expressed hope that sake will further grow in popularity in France.
He said he thinks more and more French people are now appreciating sake not because of its similarity to wine but because of its difference from wine.
He added that sake and wine are complementary, rather than competing, to each other amid declining consumption of alcoholic drinks.