Natural Sake, is it a thing?
Mariko Tajiri
Yes, we dearly love natural wine, as it more than a wine category, it is a philosophy that has an impact on all wine making choices. However, does that philosophy have an equivalent in the sake world? If so, what would it be? Should it be called “natural sake”? Or is it a case of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole? Did this concept exist in sake way before its resurgence in the wine world?
All questions we explore with our friend Mariko Tajiri, a person we will like to call the supreme sake geek 日本酒のオタク. She is not only the national brand manager at one Canada’s best sake importer That’s Life Gourmet and a WSET sanctioned sake teacher, but she is also well versed in the world of natural wine, working with renowned producers such as Tessa Laroche and Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot. Her background makes her more than qualified, if not the best person to try and answer those questions with us.