THE INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE

7 SAKE ENTRY KIT For sake producers based outside Japan THE INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2017

contents & important dates Contents International Wine Challenge 2017 Introduction / Welcome 3 The Judges and the Judging Process 4-7 IWC Promotional Opportunities 8 Rules for Entry 9 Entry Form 10-11 Entry Form Explanatory Notes 12 Sake Categories 13 Important dates Entry opens: February 2017 Closing date for entries: 10 March 2017 Medals announced: 17 May 2017 Trophies announced: 22 May 2017 Delivery deadline for samples 10 March 2017 Judging: 24-25 April 2017 Trophy tasting: 26 April 2017 Discovery Tasting off-trade: 22-24 May 2017 Awards Dinner: 6 July 2017 Discovery Tasting on-trade: 2-4 October 2017 IWC Sake Awards Sponsored By: 2

International Wine Challenge 2017 Welcome 3welcome 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 10 years with sakes entered from Japan, Canada, Norway and the USA in 2016. 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 Awards and the Sake Brewer of the Year, 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 2016 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 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

the judges and the judging process The Judges and the Judging Process International Wine Challenge 2017 The IWC Sake Co-Chairmen, Kenichi Ohashi MW, Simon Hofstra, Takuya Kusuda, Ake Nordgren and Beau Timken 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. 4

International Wine Challenge 2017 The Sake Co-Chairs Kenichi Ohashi MW Kenichi (Ken) Ohashi MW is a leading Japanese wine and Sake distributor in Tokyo with accolades from the industry. Awarded Best Wine Merchant 1999 by Japan Sommelier Association he has shown his intricate knowledge of the subject both at home and abroad. He is author of Natural Wine and is the online wine columnist of Japan s top wine publication Wine Report. He holds a Diploma from WSET in London and has been certified as a 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. He is a Master of Wine and was also awarded the Personality of the Year 2016 by IWC. Simon Hofstra Simon Hofstra is owner of Taste of Sake, a company specialized in consulting, importing, distribution and education of sake. He was one of the first non-japanese in Europe who started to work with traditional Japanese sake. Simon Hofstra is awarded the prestigious title Sake Samurai in 2009, he was winner of the Sake Contribution Award in 2008 and is educator for the WSET Award in Sake. the sake co-chairs 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. 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. 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. 5

the sake panel chairs The Sake Panel Chairs Dr Takeaki Ishikawa International Wine Challenge 2017 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. Honami Matsumoto Honami is the creative director/founder of House of Sake since 2015, providing carefully selected sake accessories, events, promotion and sake education to the UK and beyond. Honami has been working with sake for nearly 15 years and is a Kikisakeshi-qualified sake sommelier, WSET-certified educator for Sake Level 1&3, Wine Level 1&2 and an IWC sake judge since 2007. Honami has planned and hosted numerous sake events, many of which had sake and food matching with various renowned restaurants and chefs in London. Honami is also an official sake selection and sake event consultant for Hedonism Wines in Mayfair. 6

International Wine Challenge 2017 The Sake Panel Chairs 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 chairs Jennifer Docherty MW Jennifer Docherty is a Master of Wine and a Master of Sake. She was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada but left at age eighteen to study fashion design in New York City. Her love of gastronomy led her to pursue part-time WSET wine courses which inspired her to change careers. After six years of study, she became a Master of Wine in 2015. Her love of Sake and learning has also earned her the WSET level 3 Award in Sake and the Master of Sake (SSI). She currently resides in London and is a buyer for Liberty Wines. Keiichiro Miyagawa Keiichiro is a restaurant industry consultant, sake sommelier, and sake communication expert, based in France since 1990, where he has been a member of the Association des Sommeliers de Paris Ile-de-France, taking part in various activities intended to promote sake to France consumers. He has since held the position of President of the European Office of the Sake Service Institute, where he travelled throughout Europe to talk about sake at various events. In 2010, he established GALERIE K PARIS, a business specialising in the wholesales of sake and French wine, as well as restaurant consulting. Melinda Joe Melinda Joe is a journalist and food writer. Originally from the United States, she is based in Tokyo, Japan. She writes about drinks in her column for The Japan Times and is the Tokyo correspondent for Gourmet Sweden. Her work covering gastronomy around the world has taken her from the Andean salt flats of Chile to the cliffs of the Faroe Islands. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Departures Magazine and has been translated into four languages. A certified sake and wine specialist, she has judged sake at London s International Wine Challenge since 2012. 7

IWC Promotional Opportunities International Wine Challenge 2017 IWC Promotional Opportunities IWC Discovery Tasting The IWC Discovery Tasting provides a unique platform for IWC competition entrants who are seeking representation in the UK. Buyers from all channels, including supermarkets, agents, independents, major restaurant and hotel chains, attend the IWC Discovery Tasting. The Discovery Tasting will take place at the London Wine Fair on 22-24 May 2017 at Olympia, London and The Restaurant Show on 2-4 October 2017 at Olympia London. Sakes for both on and off-trade will be presented at both tastings and will be further grouped by country and style, enabling buyers to easily browse and find products relevant to them. To enter the Discovery Tasting, please see point 1 on the entry. The fee for participating in the Discovery Tasting is 55 per entry/sake. Two additional samples of your sake must be supplied with your IWC sake entry. Video Tasting Notes IWC now offers medal winners the opportunity to engage directly with an international audience via videos on the IWC app and website. Either you can provide your own video, or we will be filming at the Discovery Tasting at the London Wine Fair on 22-24 May 2017. For more information and to book a space contact kate.labate@wrbm.com / yuko.kato@wrbm.com or call +44 (0) 1293 846511 8

International Wine Challenge 2017 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 Online entries must be submitted at before 10 March 2017. Please note we do not accept cheques as payment. Incomplete entries cannot be accepted. Paper entries for entrants based outside Japan should be sent to the International Wine Challenge at the organiser s address (see top of page). Proof of postage or submission will not be deemed to be proof of delivery. An invoice will be sent to you upon receipt of your entry. 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. 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 10 March 2017. Cancellations after this date will not be refunded. Dispatching your Sake For your convenience the International Wine Challenge has appointed Hellmann Worldwide Logistics as its official carrier for the competition. All samples must be sent via Hellmann Worldwide Logistics. All sake entrants based outside Japan will receive instructions relating to the shipping of your samples from the organisers directly. Please use the official IWC labels that will be sent to you on completion of your entry. These labels must be stuck on the side of your box so that they are not obscured by courier labels. These labels have a barcode that will send an automated confirmation email when your samples arrive at the judging venue. Please do not use the postal system to send samples. They rarely arrive intact and often get stuck at customs. All samples must be sent via Hellmann Beverage Logistics. 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. 9

IWC 2017 entry form IWC 2017 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: International Wine Challenge 2017 All entries MUST BE PAID IN FULL before the first day of the tasting. All sake entrants based outside Japan will receive instructions relating to the shipping of your samples from the organisers directly. Number of entries Price per Entry Total Entry Fee 150 Fax: Logistics and SSA contribution (mandatory for each sake) 124.14 Discovery Tasting*** (2 additional samples required) 55 Total METHOD OF PAYMENT *IMPORTANT - Cards are regularly declined by the card issuer as this may be considered an unusual purchase by the bank. If your credit card is declined, please contact your card issuer/bank and confirm the value of the purchase in Yen and also the recipient: William Reed Business Media Ltd 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 10

International Wine Challenge 2017 IWC 2017 Entry Form It is easier to enter online at /canopy 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 11. 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 10 March 2017. Please use 1 entry form for each sake you enter Entry number: of sakes entered. Company entering the sake: 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 No o Sake Producer Name: In Japanese: Telephone: Email: 3. Sake Details In Japanese: 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: In Japanese: Prefecture: In Japanese: City/County: In Japanese: Rice Polish Rate: Alcohol level %: Residual sugar g/litre: Sake Meter Value (eg +8): Has high caproaic acid ethyl producing yeast been used?: Yes o No o Sake Category: Futsu-shu o Honjozo o Junmai o Junmai Ginjo o Junmai Daiginjo o Ginjo o Daiginjo o Koshu o Sparkling o IWC 2017 entry form 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: Importer: Country: 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): 720ml 1800ml 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: 11

entry form explanatory notes Please read this information when completing the entry form. International Wine Challenge 2017 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 55, 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. Residual Sugar Level: Glucose analysis based on sugar levels of the finished product in grams per litre (g/1000ml or g/l) 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/ethyl producing yeast: Used for IWC statistical analysis and correct flighting 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. 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. 12

International Wine Challenge 2017 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 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. 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 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 72cl bottles (or equivalent 75000 litres) 4. Must be under Yen 1000 per 72cl bottle (or equivalent) in Japan 11. Sake Brewer of the Year All brewers entering sake into the IWC will automatically be considered for this award. Brewers will be awarded points for medal, trophy and commended awards, with points deducted for entries that do not win award. The results are weighted based on the volume of entries and recency of production to give an average score per sake. sake categories 13

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