Not all sake is made in Japan, and Vancouverites have a reason to celebrate local as Artisan SakeMaker on Granville Island marks its 20th year of producing sake in the city. Proprietors Masa and Yukiko Shiroki have operated since day one with the belief that sake could be made in Canada with local meaning, helping people taste beyond old assumptions.
Osake 20th Anniversary Junmai Nama Sake
Priced at $15.99 for 375 mL, this sake is available online and in-store. It offers wonderful aromatics of melon and flowers, with a lighter body and nice freshness overall before an easy, fruity finish. Great served with sushi, shellfish, or seafood.
Osake Renaissance Fraser Valley Junmai Sake
At $24.49 for 375 mL, this sake highlights rice grown in Abbotsford, watered by pure mountain streams and grown without pesticides or herbicides. It presents more robust and heady: bread and earthy aromas with a richer, off-dry style and lingering finish.
Artisan SakeMaker Apple-Yuzu Sake Cooler
For $17.19 for 500 mL, this innovative cooler blends Junmai Nama Sake with local apple concentrate and carbonation. The result is a fizzy, refreshing 7 percent ready-to-drink beverage perfect for summer, with apple aromas and a hint of residual sugars.
The best way to experience these offerings is to visit the tasting room along Railspur Alley on Granville Island, where you can try a flight of Osake selections, sake cocktails, or the Apple-Yuzu Sake Cooler. You can also enjoy a meal at Sake & Tapas Central.
Solstice Soirée at LaSalle College
A summer celebration on June 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the rooftop terrace of LaSalle College Vancouver features 12 wines and 12 bites from Argentina, B.C., France, and Italy, each paired with a culinary creation from chef Julian Bond. Tickets are $118 all inclusive.
