Sake Fest Returns to Philadelphia

Prominent local chefs to prepare food to be enjoyed with sake

Wednesday April 14th 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel

PHILADELPHIA, PA – March 16, 2010 – Sake is more than a drink to be served with Japanese food.  It is an unexpected gourmet addition to the dinner table that is as versatile as wine.  It can be enjoyed with cheese, chocolates, and all varieties of ethnic foods.  Similar in profile to wine, sake is valued for its fragrance, impact, sweet or dry finish, acidity, presence and complexity. To further educate and introduce sake – as well as other Japanese alcoholic beverages – to the region, the 6th Annual Sake Fest is being held during the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia.  It will take place on Wednesday, April 14th from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Center City.  Tickets for the event are $59.50 per person in advance online and $69.50 at the door.  A portion of the net proceeds benefit the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia.  Participants must be 21 years or older to attend.  To purchase tickets for Sake Fest visit www.sakefest.com or Event Navigators, LLC at www.eventnavigators.com.

“Participants attending the Sake Fest will experience dozens of sake varieties and learn how to pair it with any type of food.” says Marnie Old, Sake Fest spokesperson and internationally renowned wine educator and sommelier. She continues, “Samples of Japanese and American brands, both premium and rare sakes will be served, as will regionally micro brewed ‘jizake,’ which means small, regional sake brewer. Prominent chefs from area restaurants and catering facilities will prepare and serve a selection of appetizers, cheeses, chocolates and foods that complement different types of sake.”

About Japanese Alcoholic Beverages

Sake is a drink made from rice that originated in China approximately 5,000 years ago. It came to Japan around the 3rd century AD where it has been constantly enhanced and refined.  Sake, as it is known today, originated at the beginning of the 20th century with the advent of modern brewing and bottling techniques.

A surprise to many Westerners, beer is actually the most popular alcoholic drink in Japan. The art of brewing beer was imported in the early Meiji Period from Germany as a development project for the northern island of Hokkaido.

Western liquor such as bourbon, achieved steady growth in Japan through the 1970’s and saw wide-spread popularity in the mid-80’s, particularly with younger, post-college consumers. It is often served on the rocks or mixed with water and ice.

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