Tapping into the epicentre of sake distinction, Wynn Resorts Macau recently spotlighted the revered craft of sake with its annual International Wine Challenge (IWC) A Feast in Honour of Award-Winning Sakes 2024, staged across both Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau. Held at Wynn Macau, Limited for the fourth time, this two-day affair served as a catalyst for dialogue and knowledge exchange among key figures from the food and beverage sectors and top Japanese breweries. Attendees were also treated to a collection of some of the world’s finest sakes, all of which have earned top accolades.
Tracing back to its origins, the IWC was founded in 1984 by British wine critics Robert Joseph and Charles Metcalfe, with the goal of discovering the best wines around the world. The competition employs blind tasting methods, with accredited judges evaluating the wines on three separate occasions to identify the cream of the crop. The judging system is known for its stringency, where each wine is assessed impartially for its adherence to style, region and vintage, without prior knowledge of pricing and vintner specifics. Since its inception, the IWC has grown substantially. What began with just 38 wines in its inaugural year has expanded to a grading process of up to 10,000 wines annually.
As a subset of the IWC, the sake division was introduced in 2007 and is overseen by a panel of co-chairs, including Japanese and international representatives. This category involves 11 teams of five judges each, who carry out two tasting rounds. In the first round, the judges assess the sake to determine if it merits a medal and decide whether it progresses to the second round. Any sake that fails to quality in this round will be retasted. Sakes that advance to round two are reviewed for gold, silver, bronze, commended, and out. At this stage, sakes may be rejected due to bottle variation—awards can be adjusted up or down if two presiders agree. Throughout the competition, judges consider how well the sake reflects its style category such as futsu-shu (standard sake), Junmai (pure rice sake), ginjo (special brew), koshu (aged sake), and more.
In keeping with this spirit, an award-winning sake masterclass was conducted at the grand ballroom of Wynn Macau, led by Atsuhide Hoshiyama—a distinguished sake expert and director of the Japan Sommelier Association (J.S.A) based in Hyōgo in the Kansai region. “I want participants to gain insights beyond what’s found in textbooks,” Hoshiyama said. “The first and most important step is to have fun. Tasting a good variety of sakes with curiosity is essential to improving your palate recognition.” Guests had the chance to sample nine distinct sakes, with Hoshiyama providing an overview of each one’s historical context, production methods, and tasting profiles. Two personal favourites that particularly stood out were Dewazakura Awa (a well-balanced sparkling sake with aromas of cherry blossom, cream and peach) and Vintagience Heiku 1995 (a gentle aged sake with integrated acidity and a sweet bread flavour reminiscent of brioche and buttery sugar).
Following the masterclass, the walkaround tasting session featured ambassadors from nine different breweries with their own IWC 2024 Trophy-winning sakes, including this year’s titleholder Miyakobijin Taiyou—a Junmai ginjo (special brew where the rice is polished to 60 per cent or less) produced by Miyakobjin Shuzo Co. Ltd. in Hyōgo. Extending this experience was The Champion Sake Dinner at Wynn Palace’s Mizumi with a special sake pairing menu by executive chef Hironori Maeda, and The IWC Trophy Champion Sake Gala Dinner with a collaborative custom menu by Wing Lei’s executive chef Chan Tak Kwong and chef Maeda.
“All sakes are enjoyed differently throughout the year, depending on the season,” Hoshiyama said. “For instance, cloudy sakes are popular during the Peach Festival in March, summers sakes in July or August, Hiyaoroshi (pasteurised during the colder months) at summer’s end, and Shinshu (raw pressed sake) from fall to winter. Understanding these seasonal variations allows you to savour the essence of each sake in the right manner.”
