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Tuesday, 16th February 2016
In General Japan News,
Japan's sake producers battle for place at Ise-Shima Summit
Sake breweries across Japan are waiting with expectation to find out which brand of the famous rice wine will be used at the upcoming Ise-Shima Summit.
The event, which is set to be held from May 26th to 27th, will see important dignitaries travelling to Japan and represents a great opportunity for whichever sake producer is chosen to advertise to the world.
Representatives will converge on the Shima Kanko Hotel on Kashiko Island in Mie Prefecture, which has led to speculation that a sake from this area of Japan will be used.
Once the rice wine has been selected, the likes of David Cameron, Barack Obama and Angela Merkel will all get the chance to taste it.
The sake will be used as the official toast at a high-profile dinner and will give the brewery a seal of approval in terms of representing the best Japan has to offer, reports Japan Today.
There is much speculation about which producer will be chosen, however, as there are no guidelines as to how such a decision will be made.
In the past, certain breweries have been asked to provide samples of their wares to help officials make a choice.
This was the case in 2008 for the Hokkaido Toyako Summit when ten brands from across Japan were subjected to taste testing by officials from the Foreign Ministry.
It resulted in Isojiman Naka Dori, Junmai Daiginjo 35 from the Isojiman Premium Sake Brewery Company in Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture being selected.
Evidence that such an accolade can lead to big things for producers can be seen in that setting hold of this sake is incredibly difficult, as demand remains high.
Those able to purchase bottles are still picked by lottery in a bid to make the process as fair as possible.
Until any official announcement is made, sake breweries continue to be hopeful that they might be chosen to grace the table of the banqueting hall.
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