Held on June 3 in Vin+ Arcadia, Jakarta and June 5 in Sheraton Kuta Resort Bali, the Sake Festival will involve more than 10 sake producers, with brands including Dassai, Born and Gekkeikan. In addition, the event will also include other beverages such as shochu, beer and whisky from the likes of Caedo, Kanasuke and Kirin. ”We’ve prepared the Sake Festival as a platform to introduce sake and other Japanese beverages, along with their wide variety of tastes and types. We invite everyone to come make the most out of this opportunity,” said Susan Halim, Jaddi Internasional’s sake brand manager. The Sake Festival is free of charge, and will entail tasting sessions as well as discussions centered around the traditional Japanese rice wine. Though sake is made from rice, the beverage possesses a complex range of tastes that are influenced by the type of rice used, as well as its brewing method, ranging from the full-bodied nigori to the lighter futsushu. Just as one would expect from wine, each sake variant will have its own distinct aroma and notes, which range from floral, fruity and caramel to hints of nuts and spices. The terms used during the tasting session will also correspond to how one would describe wine, such as karakuchi (dry), amami (sweet), nigami (bitter) and sanmi (sour). However, unlike wine’s sensitivity to the serving temperature, sake allows for a wider variety, though the ginjo, daiginjo and nigori varieties are best served chilled to maintain their freshness.