Sake with a touch of wine

Hananomai Shuzō in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, are putting a western-style twist on two new releases by making sake with wine yeast from Domaine Simon Bize in Burgundy.

Hananomai have actually sold a sake made with wine yeast, called Abysse, for some time but now they have used yeast from a specific wine producer. The collaboration came about through domaine owner Chisana Bize, whose father is originally from Hamamatsu.

The two new sake are Hananomai Bize junmai daiginjo muroka nama genshu made with Shizuoka-grown Yamada Nishiki (limited to 5000 bottles, retailing for JPY 3850/720 ml) and Hananomai Sparkling, brewed initially with Burgundy white wine yeast and then second fermentation in bottle with Domaine Simon Bize yeast (limited to 100,000 bottles a year, retailing for JPY 2750/720 ml).

Both have powerful and refreshing flavours with plenty of fruity acidity and are suitable for drinking with meals. Wine yeast also produces less alcohol than standard sake yeast, so they are just 12% ABV.

Domaine Simon Bize sent samples of wine containing live yeast to Hananomai, who enlisted the help of the Numazu Industrial Research Centre to isolate it before starting test brewing in preparation for a full-scale product launch.

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花の舞酒造 仏老舗ワイン酵母×日本酒 新たな味わいで価値訴求 (Excite News, 7 April 2025, Japanese)
Hananomai Shuzō (Japanese)