Japanese-born Yukino Ochiai’s journey as a sake educator and distributor has carved a new milestone.
Yukino has been nominated as a Sake Samurai, one of the most prestigious sake ambassador titles in Japan.
Yukino is the first female Sake Samurai in Australia, bringing the country’s number of members to three – she joins Sydney chef Tetsuya Wakuda (who was appointed in 2007) and sake ambassador Andre Bishop (appointed in 2013).
“I’m so honored to be nominated as Sake Samurai. It’s a very prestigious title so I’m humbled and thankful. It’s been five years since we started our sake distribution company . With our efforts being rewarded like this, I am re-energized and ready to go further”, says Yukino.
The status was created by The Japan Sake Brewers Association Junior Council in 2005 to acknowledge people who understand and love sake and sake culture in Japan and promote them both in and out of Japan. This year’s five appointments brings the total number of title holders to 70 only worldwide.
Yukino Ochai (third from right) at this year's Sake Samurai ceremony in Kyoto. Source: Supplied
From wine to sake
Yukino established Deja vu Sake Co, a leading sake importer in Australia, in 2012 with her Australian husband Andrew Cameron (who is a co-owner of Deja vu Wine Co, a wine distribution business).
When they came up with the idea of introducing boutique Japanese sake to Australia, Yukino didn’t know much about the technicality of sake and sake-making.
“Andrew was keen about the idea but I was half-nervous. Because I thought it was irresponsible for me, a Japanese, to distribute sake without proper knowledge and I knew I needed to understand sake pretty well,” says Yukino. “On the other hand, I was excited too. Experiencing the Japanese food boom, I saw a huge potential in the sake market in Australia.”
I still encounter deep-rooted misunderstandings such as hot sake is bad.
“I have a 12-year career in the wine industry. I was exporting Australian wines to Asian countries, mainly to Japan. I visit Japan regularly and enjoy food and sake there. So the idea of importing sake to Australia came up naturally. We have a good distribution network in the wine industry so Andrew and I thought we could place sake on our network. The system worked well. We could provide wine professionals with information about sake when it was still little-known,” Yukino explains.
“Things have changed from five years ago. More Australians are visiting Japan and almost all of them enjoy sake there more or less. Maybe ten years ago, nobody knew what dai-ginjo (high-quality sake brewed from rice grains milled to 50 per cent of weight or less) is, but that is not the case anymore.
My favorite dish I enjoy with sake is Italian carpaccio. And cheese!
“Questions from consumers are getting more sophisticated too,” says Yukino. “Well, having said that, I still encounter deep-rooted misunderstandings such as hot sake is bad. That was mentioned in a film 40 years ago! Sake is a very unique alcohol. You can enjoy both cold and warm.”
“Being Japanese and a woman is my strength.”
Yukino has become the 16th woman awarded Sake Samurai status at this year’s ceremony (held on 27 September in Kyoto). The Japan’s sake industry is still male-dominated. “I think being Japanese and a woman is my strength,” says Yukino. “I have a career in the wine industry, which is still a male society, but I’ve never thought that being a woman is a disadvantage. If you are sincere and talk with your heart, people would listen to you regardless of your gender. Maybe sometimes it’s easier for women to jump in to an unfamiliar world,” says Yukino.
Try sake with pizza, steak and at a barbie
In Australia, Yukino is the first Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certified sake educator. She is passionate about getting sake to the table at everyone’s home.
“Sake is so versatile. It goes well with everyday food such as pizza, steak, cheese and barbies. Italian, Chinese and French cuisine, for sure.” Yukino has had this dream since the establishment of Deja vu Sake Co. “I hope that someday I can see people in Australia buying sake at a bottle shop just like they buy wine. Getting pizzas and sake and enjoying a film at home with friends … things like that.”
Some of the sakes distributed by Deva Vu Sake Co. Source: Supplied
“My favorite dish I enjoy with sake is Italian carpaccio. And cheese! It doesn’t have to be a Japanese dish like sashimi or sushi.”
