Sakqueso! 2021

This is a Sake Gumi members-only event for June club bottles! Join our sake club today and attend the Zoom event!

This is our sixth annual Sakqueso! We look forward to this theme every year because we think it's one of the most satisfying pairings out there: sake and cheese. This year we are doing something different for Sakqueso, by calling upon our dear friend Kevin Corcoran, an American Cheese Society CCP (Certified Cheese Professional) to help guide us for a tasting on Zoom. 

Kevin has taught the class at the annual American Cheese Society Conference titled “Unconventional Pairings,” where he paired Japanese fermented ingredients with cheese! We are honored to have him on as cheese consultant for Sakqueso again this year and host him during our special event.

Mark your calendars and line up all the cheese from Kevin's list and we'll see you at the event! Read more about the sakes here.

WHAT:
Sakqueso! 
We will be pairing four sakes from our June Sake Gumi selections with four different cheeses chosen by Kevin.

Below is Kevin's cheese list to go with each sake:

Shirakabegura Kimoto Junmai
Morsey's Buffalo Mozzarella, California
Pasteurized water buffalo milk, soft
Good substitutions: imported Italian mozzarella di bufala from the producers Gustosella or Luigi Guffanti.

Wataribune 55 Junmai Ginjo
Brebirousse d'Argental, France
Pasteurized sheep milk, soft
Good substitutions: Pecora Rossa from Caseificio Alta Langa in northern Italy.

Fukuchitose Yamahai Toku Junmai Ginjo
Rivoire-Jacquemin Comte, France
Raw cow milk, semi-firm, 6-9 months
Good substitutions: Beillevaire or Marcel Petite, in the 6-9 month maturation. 

Gunma Izumi Yamahai Chotoku Junmai
Montgomery's Cheddar or Westcombe Cheddar, England Raw cow milk, semi-firm
Good substitutions: Quicke's mature could work in addition to these two. Alternate domestic options include Cabot Clothbound Cheddar from Vermont and Fiscalini clothbound cheddar from California though both are slightly less earthy and a little more sweet than their English predecessors.

Where can you get these cheeses? Here's Kevin's suggestions:

Murray's Cheese would be a good resource as they ship widely and they do show Montgomery's cheddar, Brebirousse, Comte options and a buffalo mozzarella on their site currently. Another option is Zingerman's – they ship all over the place, are very good at it, and also have these cheeses in stock.

For local customers I'd say Market Hall Foods in the East Bay, Rainbow Grocery in SF, Sigona's in Palo Alto, Oliver's Markets in Santa Rosa, Sunshine Foods in St. Helena, Sonoma Cheese Factory in Sonoma would all be options to source each of these cheeses or their substitutes.

WHEN: Thursday June 24, 5:30pm PDT

WHERE:  Zoomland

ADMISSION: Free entry for Sake + Shochu Gumi members. Become a member today!