廣島行 --- 西条酒祭Saijo Sake Matsuri

A remarkable wine label often bring a fantasy to the drinkers and add value to the wine. The most appealing example goes to Chateau Mouton Rothschild, which will collaborate with different artist to design a new wine label to each vintage. This generates high expectations in the market every year, and has also succeeded in integrating wine and art. Recently, Mr. Leiji Matsumoto, the original author of The Galaxy Express 999, has developed a new project named "名將銘酒47撰", which brought together a number of Japanese comic artists to create a thematic Sake label, incorporating a number of characters with fatal enchantment and detailed settings. The project aims to create a unique Sake made by brewers from 47 Prefectures and shared among all of them. Matsumoto eagers to the Japanese animation culture to all over the world through the project, as well as promoting the Sake culture! Hong Kong has always been regarded as a desert of culture, and perhaps this new project may give you a novel recognition. In recent days, a project was initiated by a Japanese izakaya skewer restaurant心燒食堂, bringing together 12 Hong Kong local comic writes, including Siu Hak, Little Thunder, Au-Yeung Ying Chai, Mandy Cat, John Ho, etc, each designed a label which depicts their passion in Sake. The Sake is a Junmai Daiginjo made by Hakusen shuzou of Gifu Prefecture. I have personally tasted it in "Sake Fest 2017". It is floral-dominant supported by pronounced fruit aromatics, elegant and typical “Fragrant” styled. I am proud of Hong Kongers who put so much efforts in integrating the local culture and Japan Sake culture. I think it as a sign of the growing interest of Japanese Sake in Hong Kong market. 一個與別不同的酒標，往往會為飲家帶來幻想，也增加酒的收藏價值。Chateau Mouton Rothschild 每年也會和不同藝術家合作，設計不同酒標，市場往往對酒標充滿期待，每年的酒標成為酒莊標記，而這個文化也成功把酒和藝術融合。 近日，《銀河鐵道999》原作者松本零士先生，發展名為<名將銘酒47撰>的計劃，由松本老師設計多位日本名將插畫，成為獨一無二的酒標，人設細緻具風格， 看了令人愛不釋手呢。計劃目標是47個縣各合作推出一款酒，供各酒藏申請使用，松本老師希望透過計劃，以自身地位去推動{和}文化到世界各地，能感受松本老師的人設魅力之餘，也可熱切推動日本酒市場！ 而香港一向給人印象是文化沙漠，事實又是這樣嗎？ 或許這個項目會令各位改觀。近日<心燒食堂>將推出全新項目，聯合十二名香港本地知名插畫家，包括小克、門小雷、歐陽應齊、文地貓、JOHN HO等，各自設計一款酒標。以本地插畫創作結合日本酒，每個酒標都賞心悅目，帶出各人對清酒的熱愛。清酒來自岐阜縣白扇酒造的純米大吟釀， 筆者曾在<清酒祭2017>率先試飲，花香主導，水果香為副，入口優雅，是典型薰酒風格。這項目集合眾多香港知名插畫師，為清酒文化努力，筆者對香港能作出這個創新的港日清酒文化項目深感自豪，也是香港對日本酒市場越來越重視的回應。

Due to the complex brewing process and the requirement of top-notch raw materials, there are only few sake breweries beyond the border of Japan, mostly being a branch of Japanese headquarters such as the Ozeki, Yaegaki and Gekkeikanin in the United States. They produce Sakes which target US market, but it is rare to find a brewery managed by foreigners. However, with growing culture and attention in Europe and US, there is a rising trend of foreign capital brewery. From the early “Naked island” from Norway, to recently launched “Les larmes du levant” from Pélussin, Southern France. It was founded by Grégoire Boeuf, who had been studying in Umetsu Shuzo for 2 years. Being the first group of Sake brewers in France, he set a good example of oversea Sake that integrates local water and Japanese technology, which mainly targets F&B market. The Britain, not to be out done, had a plan of setting up Sake brewery in 2014, which was initiated by a beer brewery. Before this unprecedented dream come true, another brewery Dojima Sake Brewery UK is about to jump the queue, in which the plant is close to the completion. The stunning new brewery, located inside a traditional British manor, is expected to start its production in 2018 and has become a spotlight featured by a Japanese multimedia programme. As more new plants established in Europe and the United States, Sake is ready to turn into a new page, which integrates local elements and adapts to local environment, resulting in fine-tuned version of Japanese Sake. I am looking forward to the day that Hong Kong producing its own Sake one day. 日本酒因釀造過程複雜，加上對原材料的高度要求，以致少有清酒廠在海外設立，而在日本以外地方設廠的，多為日本酒廠的分部，如美國的大關, 八重垣和月桂冠等設立的酒廠。生產針對美國市場的清酒， 但由外國人主導的清酒廠則較少。 不過，隨著清酒在歐美市場獲得重視，品飲文化普及，在歐美設廠的聲音越來越多，早年有挪威出品的<裸島>清酒，近日法國南部佩呂桑新設立<昇涙酒造>，由法國清酒愛好者Grégoire Boeuf創立，他在鳥取縣梅津酒造研修兩年後建立新酒廠，是首批在法國釀造的清酒。以成功地用法國當地的水和日本釀造技術融合為主幹，主要供應在當地的餐館，相當期待。 傳統愛酒大國英國也不甘示弱，雖然早在2014年已有啤酒廠表示有意設立清酒廠，不過一直只聞樓梯響， 未見真身，但另一間酒廠Dojima Sake Brewery UK則更見積極，酒廠準備好添置新的廠房釀酒，廠房已接近完成階段; 傳統英式莊園內，竟是清酒釀造廠，注目度爆燈，難怪日本方面也派攝製隊拍攝專輯，酒廠已定於2018年生產目標。 歐美地區有更多新廠設立，也意味著日本酒將步向新一頁，釀造技術融會當地的資源，變奏成營合環境的地酒，如今清酒在世界各國落地開花，想起筆者曾笑說，或有一天香港也可釀出一款清酒，也許這一天也真的會來臨。

Movies and alcohol are both international languages, with no boundaries of nationality and races. In the magic of movies, we can explore and learn various cultures from all around the world in just an hour or two. The Hollywood movie <Sideways> , which depicted a wine guru’s affection on pinot noir, has once took the global wine world by storm, making pinot noir the protagonist in US. Another movie <Red Obsession> , which illustrated the rise of Chinese wine business, has also aroused discussions among wine lovers and received a great deal of acclaims. Similarly, there were several movies talking about sake in recent years, one of them showing now is trying to bring audience into the world of sake through directors point of view. <Kampai! For the Love of Sake > is depicting the story of three sake connoisseurs – how they strived to bring sake to a global stage and how an incidence of natural disaster awaked their consciousness and become the giants finally. <The Birth of Sake> is a kind of anatomy revolving around Tedori River of Ishikawa, exploring the the sake making process, hard work of Kurabito and, their psychological variation and the contradictions confronted by their generations. <The birth of Sake> is a good and serious lesson for all sake lovers. The last one is <The Genealogy Of Sake> which is not shown in Hong Kong unfortunately. This is a film paying tributes to the four kings of Eto Toji, portraying how they inherit the techniques from the ancestors. I hope there is a chance to be shown in Hong Kong. 電影和酒都是一種國際語言, 不分國界, 不分膚色, 憑著電影魔力, 我們可以在個多小時內深入理解不同文化. 電影《酒佬日記》為葡萄酒界帶來旋風, 主角熱愛的PINOT NOIR, 也旋即成為美國酒迷的新寵兒. 近年的記錄片《紅酒瘋》, 探討中國掘起和葡萄酒的價值, 題材尖銳, 也獲得一陣好評. 同樣地, 近年三套關於日本酒的記錄片相繼登場, 近日其中一套也在香港上映, 透過電影導演的獨特觀點和視覺語言,帶各位進入不同的日本酒世界. 《乾杯!日本清酒最高》  3位清酒人為主角, 透視日本酒在面對世界時的文化衝擊, 三人如何一一克服, 為日本酒步入世界舞台努力, 一次地震天災如何喚醒他們對日本酒的自覺, 深入描寫三人的過去, 透過經歷成為獨當一面的巨人. 《清酒的誕生》 以石川縣的手取川為主角, 探討藏人們的工作日常; 片中也看到多個清酒釀造工序, 苛刻的工作量甚至令藏人賠上寶貴的性命, 難得深入描寫藏人們的心理狀態, 世代交替的矛盾, 面對種種難題, 酒藏的前路何去何從? 清酒的誕生為清酒愛好者上了沉重的一課. 最後一部是《一献之系譜》可惜的是, 這部電影沒有在香港上映,是向能登杜氏四天王致敬之作, 觀看四天王承傳杜氏技藝編織成系譜, 不知日後有沒有機會在香港觀賞呢? # 酒佬日記 Sideways # 紅酒瘋 Red Obsession # 乾杯!日本清酒最高 Kampai! For the Love of Sake # 清酒的誕生 The Birth of Sake # 一献之系譜 The Genealogy Of Sake