Monaco Sake Awards

About the Monaco Sake Awards in 2023

The Monaco Sake Awards is a sake competition held to promote cultural
exchange between Monaco and Japan.
Celebrities gather in Monaco to select sake that can be enjoyed by people from
all over the world.

Monaco, known as the jewel of the Mediterranean, is strongly influenced by the
culinary culture of neighboring France and Italy, and its world-famous
gastronomy is in harmony with tradition.
The region, like Japan, is blessed with seafood.
What is the marriage between food and sake that is unique to Monaco?
What kind of sake do the people of Monaco choose?
This interest will be fed back to the sake brewing scene and will be utilized in
the next sake brewing.

Sake is a crystallization of Japanese culture.
We will make every effort to make sake a bridge of friendship.The Monaco Sake
Awards is a sake competition held to promote cultural…
Kanpai!

The judging was conducted by Monaco's royalty,
national council, the head chef of the Monaco's court, and sommeliers from
Monaco's top hotels and restaurants.

H.S.H. Prince Albert II
Monaco Sake Awards 2023
We are truly honored to have H.S.H. Prince Albert II in attendance

About the judging

19 October 2023.
The "MONACO SAKE AWARD 2023" jury meeting was held at the "Yacht Club de Monaco" in the Principality of Monaco in the honour of His Royal Highness Prince Albert II.
Twenty-two brands were selected for 29 awards.The theme of the Mariage Award was "Foie Gras"

Award-winning sake in 2023

深然ーMIZENー 純米吟醸

Grand Prix

Mariage Award（Theme：foie gras）

Junmai Daiginjo・Daiginjo　GOLD

Junmai Ginjo・Ginjo　GOLD

Junmai・Honjozo　GOLD

Ftushu　GOLD

MONACO SAKE AWARD 2023＞＞
MONACO SAKE AWARD 2022＞＞
MONACO SAKE AWARD 2021＞＞

JUDGES in 2023

S.A.S.Le Prince Albert II
S.A.S.Le Prince Albert II
S.E.M. Didier Gamerdinger
Embassy of Monaco in Japan
S.E.Monsieur. Didier Gamerdinger

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Principality of Monaco to Japan
Former Olympic windsurfing representative of the Principality of Monaco.
Didier GAMERDINGER has served as government coucillor-minister of Social Affairs and Health, Adviser to the Prince's cabinet in charge of the Department of the Interior and of the Department of Social Affairs and Health, Director General of the Department of the Interior
and Ambassador of Monaco to Japan since 2022.
Didier Gamerdinger is the ambassador committed to the development of Japan-Monaco relations in various fields including MONACO SAKE AWARD.

Monsieur Christian Garcia
Chef de Cuisine of the S.A.S.Le Prince Albert II of Monaco
Chef de Cuisine of the Palace of the Principality of Monaco
Monsieur Christian Garcia

He joined the Palace of Monaco in 1987 and became Chef de Cuisine of the Palace in 2004.
For more than 15 years, he has chaired the Club Chefs des Chefs, the exclusive association of chefs of heads of state, royal families and heads of state, and has worked with politicians from all over the world, including Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Queen Elizabeth II. He is known for his charity work and has organised charity dinners in Japan in aid of the Tohoku and Kumamoto reconstruction efforts.
The Barbagiuan is a traditional dish and every family has a special recipe of their own. It is stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta, amongst other ingredients. With the Monegasque traditional cuisine, the Mediterranean influence is dominant and very popular. I am very excited to discover the Macanese cuisine and talk to chefs in these regions.

Monsieur Bernard d'Alessandri
Secretary General and Director of the Yacht Club of Monaco
Monsieur Bernard d'Alessandri

One of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world, Yacht Club de Monaco was founded by King Rainier in 1953 and has more than 2,500 members from 79 nationalities. D'Alessandri has been welcoming VIPs from all over the world at the yacht club for more than 50 years since the former king was president.

Monsieur Patrice Frank
Head Sommelier of the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo
President of the Association of Sommeliers of Monaco
Monsieur Patrice Frank

Since 2000, Patrice Frank has been the Head Sommelier of the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo.
Prestigious as the world's largest hotel wine cellar, with 450,000 bottles of wine stored in 1,500 square meters of underground space and served to worldwide clientele.
Patrice Frank is also the president of the Monaco Sommelier Association and serves at the Palace.

Monsieur Lionel Compan
Head Sommelier of Yacht Club de Monaco
Monsieur Lionel Compan

After more than 20 years as a sommelier at five-star hotels, including the Hôtel de Paris, he has been Head Sommelier at the Yacht Club de Monaco for more than seven years, where he welcomes politicians and VIP clients from around the world.

Monsieur Eric Benchimolr
Honorary Consul General of Japan in Monaco
Monsieur Eric Benchimol

Message du Président de l'AMFJ

Président de l'AMFJ Eric Benchimol

Chers amis japonais

En tant que Consul Général Honoraire du Japon à Monaco et Président de l'AMFJ, nous avons pu organiser avec l'Association Monaco Friends of Japan, le Yacht Club de Monaco le 1er Monaco Sake Awards en novembre 2023.

Nous sommes très impatients d’accueillir la 3eme édition prévue en Octobre 2023.

Parmi les membres du jury, des personnalités de Monaco nous ont fait l’honneur de leur présence lors de ce concours et souhaitons vivement pouvoir bénéficier de personnalités aussi prestigieuses pour l'édition 2023.

Les Monaco Sake Award ne sont pas seulement une compétition, mais aussi un échange culturel entre le Japon et Monaco à travers le saké.
Nous invitons les brasseries de saké japonaises à participer à la 3eme édition des Monaco Sake Awards.
Rendez-vous en Octobre 2023.

Eric Benchimol

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