Sponsored by: Sponsored by: SAKE ENTRY KIT For sake producers based in Japan

Sponsored by: Sponsored by: SAKE ENTRY KIT For sake producers based in Japan THE INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2016

welcome Welcome International Wine Challenge 2016 The International Wine Challenge (IWC) was established in 1984 and has now firmly positioned itself as one of the most respected blind wine tasting competitions in the world. The IWC sake competition was introduced in 2007 and has grown tremendously over the past 9 years with sakes entered from Japan, Canada, Norway and the USA in 2015. As such, the IWC employ a vast number of international sake experts to judge the competition each year. The International Wine Challenge awards medals to sakes based on quality and also awards a Great Value Sake Award, which is a reflection of the huge surge in availability and popularity of sake across the world in recent years. Every year we are seeing the quality of sake entering the International Wine Challenge improve, and 2015 was no exception. It is wonderful to see different varieties succeeding at the competition, picking up prestigious awards and being exposed to an international audience. Kenichi Ohashi MW, Co-Chairman of the IWC sake competition Important dates Entry opens: February 2016 Closing date for paper entries: 20 April 2016 Delivery deadline for samples: 6 or 9 May ONLY Judging: 16-17 May 2016 Trophy tasting: 18 May 201 Medals & Trophies announced: 20 May 2016 Discovery Tasting: 13 June 2016 Awards Dinner: 7 July 2016 ENTER THE INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE TO; Benchmark your sake against your peers and the rest of the world Benefit from millions of pounds worth of free publicity Raise the profile of your brand amongst consumers and the trade Increase sales by using the internationally recognised IWC medal logos Sponsored by: 3

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the judges and the judging process The Judges and the Judging Process International Wine Challenge 2016 The IWC Sake Co-Chairmen, Sam Harrop MW, Kenichi Ohashi MW, Simon Hofstra and Takuya Kusuda will be joined by an equal number of experienced and highly regarded Japanese and non-japanese judges. The combined experience of the panel will make this the world s finest selection of international sake judges assembled at any one time. The competition s unique judging process and the quality and experience of its judges undoubtedly makes the IWC the most credible and tested competition of its kind. 5

The Sake Co-Chairmen Sam Harrop MW Sam began his career in the UK as one of Marks & Spencer s youngest flying winemakers. By age 32 he had travelled to every major wine region in the world, and passed The Master of Wine exam on his first attempt, receiving the Tim Derouet Award for outstanding performance. Sam is now an independent consultant, educator and commentator in the wine industry. He recently co-authored Authentic Wine a new book focusing on the concept of naturalness in wine. He is also a Sake Samurai and a champion of the International Wine Challenge Sake Category. Kenichi Ohashi MW Kenichi Ohashi is a leading Japanese wine and sake distributor in Tokyo with accolades from the industry. Awarded Best Wine Merchant 1999 by the Japan Sommelier Association he has shown his intricate knowledge of the subject both at home and abroad. He is the author of Natural Wine and is the online wine columnist of Japan s national newspaper Yomiuri. the sake co-chairmen He holds a Diploma from WSET in London and is a certified Master of Sake (SSI) and Sake Expert Assessor (NRIB). In addition, he has started exporting his selection of sake and Japanese wines to the world market. Kenichi is currently an MW student. Simon Hofstra Simon Hofstra is Sake category manager at the Dutch wine importing company Vinites, responsible for the sales of sake in Europe. He graduated on the Dutch Wine Academy and Gastronomy Academy in Holland during his work as sommelier in the first Michelin star awarded Japanese restaurant. As of 2000 he started to combine sake with non-japanese food, creating a new market in Holland and Belgium. Bringing sake to the wider public he started his own sake company in 2005 which later became Sake Europe that is nowadays part of one of the biggest wine importing companies of Holland. Simon won the Sake Contributor Award in 2008 and became Sake Samurai in 2009. Takuya Kusuda Takuya Kusuda is a wine and Sake instructor at the Academie du Vin in Tokyo and Osaka. He ranks as one of Japan s leading wine writers, translators and educators. His translation of Robert Parker Junior s Bordeaux in 1988 was the first to be published in Japanese. He was editor of Stephan Tanzer s International Wine Cellar (Japanese Edition), co-author of Wine TAIZEN (2000), and associate Editor of Wine Kingdom, a top Japanese wine magazine. In 2011, he qualified as the first Japanese certified Official Burgundy Wine Instructor from BIVB. He is the individual title holder for the National Japanese Sake Championship (1986). He also has over 30 years winemaking experience from vineyards in Germany, Napa, Burgundy, New Zealand and Japan. 6

the sake panel chairmen International Wine Challenge 2016 The Sake Panel Chairmen Yukio Hamada Yukio worked at the National Tax Bureau as technical adviser of brewing for 30 years. He has also acted as a consultant for several hundred sake and shochu makers in areas concerning the brewing and distillation process and quality control. Yuki was an advisor and consultant for the quality and safety of all liquors at the National Tax Administration. He is founder of the official contest for warmed sake which represents this popular drinking style in sake tasting. He is now the director of Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association. Ake Nordgren Ake is a Diploma sommelier, founder and owner of Akebono Unlimited AB. Founded in 1995 Akebono is today the Scandinavian leading importer and distributor of Japanese Sake. In 1990 he started to travel Japan and visit Sake breweries to gain a deep understanding of the process and has since then visited Japan more than 50 times. The last nine years he has been a teacher of two of Sweden s sommelier schools and weekly been giving lectures and seminars of sake to professionals and amateurs at university level and trade shows. Dr Takeaki Ishikawa Dr. Takeaki Ishikawa, born in 1941, is a biochemist whose major interests include the breeding of sake yeast and fermentation physiology. He is now the president of the Brewing Society of Japan that is a supplier of Kyokai sake yeast. He has also been a sake tasting expert for over 40 years and has served as a judge at sake contests held in various locations in Japan. In 2004 and 2009, he judged at the U.S. National Sake Appraisal in Honolulu, Hawaii. Christine Parkinson In 2001 Christine created the first wine list for Hakkasan, and is now Wine Buyer for the group, which includes Sake No Hana and the Michelin-starred restaurants Hakkasan, HKK and Yauatcha, with operations worldwide. She is also a wine judge on numerous trade and consumer panels and has judged at the IWC sake awards since 2007. She was recently the first European to judge at the US National Sake Appraisal. In 2013 she launched one of the first UK sake courses for consumers. Atsuko Kobayashi Radcliffe Atsuko first began winemaking in her home country of Japan almost thirty years ago, gaining knowledge from France, California and Australia. She also has 18 months hands on experience making Sake at one of the most respected brewers in Japan Urakasumi. With her passion for Winemaking and natural heritage of Sake, brings an understanding of fusion the two industries have. Atsuko currently makes her own label of wine in the Upper Hunter Valley of Australia Small Forest which is derived from her family name Kobayashi. 7

The Sake Panel Chairmen Antony Moss MW Antony is director of strategic planning for the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). His current role covers long-term business planning and new product development. He has worked for the company since 2004 and was the author of Wines & Spirits: Looking Behind the Label. He won the Austrian wine marketing board s prize for both his WSET diploma and MW. While continuing to coach students preparing for the MW exams, outside of the wine industry, he is a keen pianist loving especially the music of Schoenberg, Ives and Ravel. Satoshi Kimijima Satoshi is the president (4th generation) of Yokohama Kimijimaya Co., Ltd - a liquor store/wholesale trade company based in Yokohama, dealing Japanese Sake, Shochu, Awamori, and Wine. The company has more than 300 clients nationwide, including major hotels, top-rated restaurants and French grandes maisons in the metropolitan cities. He is also owns three restaurants in Tokyo (French, Italian and wine bar). He gives lectures and seminars of sake/wine, and is also a judge/supervisor of sake for the Appellation Control Committee of Nagano prefecture since 2006. Yuji Matsumoto Yuji is a Shochu specialist and was the first certified Master Sake Sommelier in the US. Yuji was the president of the California Sushi Academy from 1998 until 2002 and the President of the Sake Institute of America and Beverage manager of Kabuki Restaurants, Inc. in 2011. He has conducted more than 300 sake seminars for the general public, restaurants and wine cellars and has regular columns in Japanese Restaurant News and Sushi and Sake Magazine. Yuji was awarded a Sake Samurai in 2010 by the Japan National Sake Brewery Association Junior Council. the sake panel chairmen Beau Timken Beau is one of the foremost non-japanese authorities of sake in the world. He opened the first dedicated sake retail store outside of Japan in San Francisco, California in 2003. Along with a Master Sake Sommelier License (Kikisake-shi), Beau has been presented the prestigious and inaugural Sake Samurai title as well as the 10th Anniversary Honorary Kikisake-shi distinction. He is an educator, promoter, protector of sake who works in breweries whenever time permits. 8

discovery tasting International Wine Challenge 2016 Discovery Tasting The Discovery Tasting provides a unique platform for IWC competition entrants who are seeking representation in the UK. Only sakes that don t yet have an importer to the UK are eligible to participate. Buyers from all channels, including supermarkets, agents, independents, major restaurant and hotel chains, attend the IWC Discovery Tasting. Discovery Tasting sakes are presented depending on their target audience: off-trade (independent merchants, high street retailers and supermarkets), which is split into off-trade independent and off-trade multiple, and on-trade (restaurants, hotels and bars). Within these categories, the sakes are further grouped by country and style, enabling buyers to easily browse and find products relevant to them. The Discovery Tasting will take place on 2 occasions: IWC Festival of Wine, 13 June 2016, Kia Oval, London The Restaurant Show, 3-5 October 2016, Olympia London Sakes for both on and off-trade will be presented at both tastings. To enter the Discovery Tasting, please see point 2 on the entry. It is essential that you indicate your primary focus (off-trade independent, off-trade multiple or on-trade) so that the IWC can present your sakes to the relevant buyers. The fee for participating in the Discovery Tasting is 80 per entry/sake, which includes onward shipping from Japan to the UK. Two additional samples of your sake must be supplied with your IWC sake entry. 9

Rules for Entry rules for entry Organiser William Reed Business Media Ltd Broadfield Park, Crawley, RH11 9RT, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1293 610417 Fax: + 44 (0)1293 846 575 Email: iwc@wrbm.com Criteria for entry i Sakes produced in one country and bottled in another are allowed to enter the competition. ii All sakes submitted must be sold fitted with a non-reusable sealing or closing device. iii Unfinished samples will not be judged by the International Wine Challenge. iv Temporary labels are accepted but the information that appears on these labels must be the same as the information that will appear on the final label. Please note all bottles are photographed for the IWC App so we ask that you try and avoid using temporary labels where possible. Entry forms Completed entry forms should be sent by prepaid postage to: The Japan Sake Brewers Association Junior Council 日本酒造青年協議会土屋桜子 /Ms.Sakurako Tsuchiya 105-0003 東京都港区西新橋一丁目 1-21-7F 03-3501-0101/Tel FAX03-3501-6018 Entry forms must arrive at the above address before 20 April 2016. Incomplete entries cannot be accepted. Proof of postage or submission will not be deemed to be proof of delivery. Samples Four (4) bottles of each sake must be submitted for every entry to the International Wine Challenge. Sakes will be tasted up to three times and on different days. An extra bottle is necessary to allow for an out of condition sample. If a sake is entered into the Discovery Tasting please submit two (2) more bottles. All samples will become property of the Organiser and will be offered for a charity tasting held by Hyogo Withdrawal of entries To cancel an entry you must email iwc@wrbm.com with the name of the wine to be deleted and the name of the company deleting the entry. Entry fees can only be refunded in full if the cancellation is made before 20 April 2016. Cancellations after this date will not be refunded. Dispatching your Sake The delivery deadline for samples is 6 or 9 May 2016 ONLY. To arrange shipment of your sake please contact Keisuke for details; SPAZIO IDEA Co.,Ltd. 入江啓祐 /Keisuke IRIE 154-0002 東京都世田谷区下馬 6-28-6-202 Scapes 内 6-28-6-202 Shimouma Setagaya TOKYO 154-0002 090-4222-1759 Cel 03-6453-4305/TEL 03-6880-1551/FAX Email: irie@spazioidea.co.jp Packaging Please consider the environment when packing samples for the competition. There are many forms of recyclable cardboard boxes with suitable internal support that are durable alternatives to Styrofoam. If you prefer using filler please use polystyrene chips. 10

IWC 2016 entry form IWC 2016 Entry Form YOUR DETAILS Company name: Contact name: (Mr/Mrs/ Ms/Miss/Dr/Prof) Address: Postcode: Email: Telephone: PAYMENT DETAILS In Japanese: In Japanese: Country: All entries MUST BE PAID IN FULL before the first day of the tasting. International Wine Challenge 2016 Number of entries Price per Entry Total Entry Fee 135 Fax: Discovery Tasting*** (2 additional samples required) 80 ** The International Wine Challenge entry fee does not include Free on Board (FOB) shipping. The Discovery Tasting entry fee includes onward shipping from Japan to the UK for the 2 additional samples. VAT @ 20% (if applicable) Total METHOD OF PAYMENT o Payment by credit card. Please charge: o to my Visa o Mastercard o Amex Card number: Expiry date: Security number (3 or 4 digit number in the reverse of the credit card): Name on card: Card holders address: o Please invoice my company Purchase order number (if required): We confirm that we have understood the rules and instructions set out in the entry kit and agree to be bound by them. This entry form is signed by the person responsible for submitting the entry and to whom all correspondence concerning the International Wine Challenge should be addressed. Signature: Print name and title: Date: We will use this data for the purpose of administering your entry in the International Wine Challenge. If you do not wish us to contact you regarding your entry please tick the relevant IWC boxes. We may also use it to contact you about William Reed Business Media (WRBM) products or allow carefully selected third party companies to let you know how you can benefit from similar offers (mail and telephone only). If you do not wish this to happen please tick the relevant box. We do not share your data with third parties for Email, Fax or SMS purposes. International Wine Challenge o Tel o Fax o Email o SMS o Mail William Reed Business Media o Tel o Fax o Email o SMS o Mail 3rd Parties o Tel o Mail 11

IWC 2016 Entry Form i Entry details must be completed in black ink and BLOCK CAPITALS. The details you provide here will be used when we publish results and for producing certificates. William Reed Business Media takes no responsibility for corrections of errors or illegible text made by the entrant. ii Complete the entry form with ACCENTS iii Complete the method of payment form on page 12. iv Photocopy the entry form for your records and return the original by post WITH PAYMENT to the International Wine Challenge, William Reed Business Media Ltd, Broadfield Park, Crawley West Sussex, RH11 9RT, UK. v Entry forms must arrive before 20 April 2016. Please use 1 entry form for each sake you enter Entry number: of sakes entered. Company entering the wine: 1. Discovery Tasting: Do you wish to enter the Discovery Tasting? Yes o No o Select your primary focus: On-Trade o Off-Trade (National Multiple & Supermarkets) o Off-Trade (Independent Merchants) o 2. Sake Producer Details Do you sell sake at the cellar door?: Yes o Sake Producer Name: Telephone: Email: No o In Japanese: 3. Sake Details In Japanese: IWC 2016 entry form Sake Name: In Japanese: Vintage: Non-Vintage: o Bottle Size: 375 ml o 500 ml o 720 ml o 750 ml o 1000 ml o 1800 ml o Box o Can o Other o Closure: Plastic o Screwcap o Crown Seal o Glass o Ring pull o Glass Colour: Country: Prefecture: City/County: In Japanese: In Japanese: In Japanese: Rice Polish Rate: Alcohol level %: Sake Meter Value (eg +8): Has high caproaic acid ethel producing yeast been used?: Yes o No o Sake Category: Junmai o Junmai Ginjo o Junmai Daiginjo o Honjozo o Ginjo o Daiginjo o Koshu o Sparkling o Futsu-shu o Sake Production Style: Nama-zake o Genshu o Taru-zake o Kimoto/Yamahai o Kijoshu o Other o Nigori o Rice Variety 1: In Japanese: % Rice Variety 2: In Japanese: % 4. Production and Retail: Importer: Country: Importer: Country: Importer: Country: Number of bottles produced: Less than 24,000 o 24,000-60,000 o 60,000-100,000 o more than 100,000 o Retail price per bottle (local price): Available in the UK: Yes o No o Bottles available to the UK market: Less than 24,000 o 24,000-60,000 o 60,000-100,000 o more than 100,000 o Available to the UK on trade: Yes o No o Please state the outlet: Total number of cartons/cases sent: 12

entry form explanatory notes 1. Discovery Tasting The Discovery Tasting provides a platform to the UK market. Only sakes that don t yet have an importer are eligible. The cost for entry is 80, which includes onward shipping of your samples from Japan to the UK. Two (2) extra samples of your wine are required. Select where you would most like to target buyers from. At the Discovery tasting your sakes will be presented depending on where they are seeking buyers from. 2. Sake Producer Details Please answer precisely. This ensures that your wine is in the correct tasting group. Correct grouping is essential for the fair and consistent judging and any incomplete or incorrect information may penalise your sake. 3. Sake Details Sake Name: Any variation between the label and the entry form invites confusion for us, and may mean that your certificates are printed with the wrong sake name. Please do not include year brewed even if it is on your label. Year Brewed: This ensures that sakes are grouped correctly, fairly and consistently for tasting. Bottle Size: This informs consumers of the quantity of sake obtained for the quoted price. Closure: This helps us with the event fault correlation and also identification. Glass Colour: This is related to environmental information and assists with fault correlation. Country: The country, prefecture and city/county details enable us to group sake s correctly, fairly and consistently for tasting. Rice Polish Rate: This insures that sakes are grouped correctly, fairly and consistently for tasting. Alcohol Level: Wine Duty levels are calculated using this information. Sake Meter Value: Expressed as a plus or minus figure this is essential information to ensure that sakes are grouped correctly, fairly and consistently for tasting. High caproaic acid/ethel producing yeast: Used for IWC statistical analysis of sake entries. Sake Category and Production Style: This ensures that sakes are grouped correctly, fairly and consistently for tasting. Rice Variety: Please state the principle two (2) rice varieties used as percentages. International Wine Challenge 2016 Entry Form Explanatory Notes Please read this information when completing the entry form. 4. Production and Retail Importer: The IWC promotes medal-winning sakes internationally. This information is essential for publicity purposes and to help us locate stockists of your sake. Number of bottles produced: This information dictates the sake s eligibility for a Great Value award. Retail Price per bottle (local price): This information dictates the sake s eligibility for the Great Value award and is also used in publications, online and on the IWC App. Available in the UK: This information is important for publicity purposes and will be published on the IWC App. UK Retail Price: Please quote the price in Sterling and inclusive of VAT per bottle. This information is required for publicity and the IWC App. Bottles Available to the UK market: This information is required for publicity purposes and to help UK consumers locate award-winning sake. Available to the UK on-trade: This information will be used by the IWC to gather information on the availability of sake to UK consumers. Please state the outlet: This information will be used by the IWC to understand the geographic availability of sake and the demographic of its consumers in the UK. Total number of cartons/cases sent: This information will be used by the IWC to gather information on the availability of sake to UK consumers. 13

Sake Categories The IWC has its own categories broadly based on Japanese Sake production rules. Please ensure you enter your sake into the correct category. 1. Futsu-shu Any Sake that does not fit into the classifications below, no rice polish rate restrictions 2. Honjozo Made with rice, water, koji and an addition of 10% or less weight of alcohol against total rice weight 3. Junmai No fixed rice polish rates but is without the addition of alcohol 4. Junmai Ginjo 7. Daiginjo Daiginjo brewed with highly polished rice to maximum 50%, with the addition of 10% or less weight of alcohol against total rice weight 8. Koshu Aged Sake, Vintage specific or NV 9. Sparkling Sparkling sake, any style above, and carbonated, second fermentation, ancestral rural method etc. 10. Great Value Sake sake categories Junmai but brewed with polished rice to maximum of 60% 5. Junmai Daiginjo Junmai but brewed with very highly polished rice to maximum of 50% 6. Ginjo Ginjo but brewed with highly polished rice to maximum of 60%, with the addition of 10% or less weight of alcohol against total rice weight. This is applicable to any sake that enters into the IWC and is automatically administered by the IWC when the following conditions are met: 1. Sake can be from any category 2. Must have win a Gold or Silver medal in the competition 3. Must have a production of more than 100,000 75cl bottles (or equivalent 75000 litres) 4. Must be under Yen 1000 per 72cl bottle (or equivalent) in Japan 14

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