Embrace Taste
Step outside the “Sake only served with Sushi box” and embrace the myriad of exciting tastes and flavours in New Zealand cusine and enhance that experience with a matched Sake serving.
Lead the way for a unique culinary experience creating an unforgettable dinner with exciting new tastes and ways that complement and remind our diners why Kiwi cuisine is iconic.
Kiwis love their Japanese beers, whiskey and even gin but we’ve been slower to embrace Sake, in part perhaps because the labels are so confusing! No more, Somm-Sake is here to demystify and open the doors to a world that will delight your senses.
We’ve chosen our Sake offerings from the very best of Japanese artisans, small producers, organic, low alcohol and visionary leaders in their field and then present them to you in easy-to-understand lists.
Experience full Flavours
There is a Japanese proverb ‘nihonshu wa ryori wo erabanai’, translated as ‘sake doesn’t fight with food’, having 5 times less acidity when compared with wine we can experience the full flavours and tastes of the food we are eating as it is not overwhelmed by the acids in wine (and it’s much better for our teeth!)
Sake also contains umami, a savoury quality derived from glutamic acid found in tomatoes, parmesan, mushrooms, truffles, meat and fish stock, making it the perfect match to Italian traditional foods, Kiwi burgers, platters and all our beautiful fish and oysters!
Simply explained Sake pairing is like wine pairing, if you are offering seafood or fish we would pair it with a light bodied Sake, a delicate Sake can bring out the briny salinity far better than wine. For meat and grilled dishes we would match it to a more complex Sake with more body and structure.
New Zealand produces some of the most interesting and bold dining experiences in the world, our chefs are iconic so let’s elevate that reputation by forging ahead with the very best umami health focused drink there is – Sake!