This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
With the growing popularity of sake in La Belle Province, a well-known Quebecer in the wine industry, François Chartier, has created a small revolution in tradition, here… as in Japan!
In Quebec, the volume of cases of these rice beers jumped 5% over the past year, and sales of these specialty drinks increased 8% at the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ). The Crown corporation confirms that it will expand its range for the coming year. One of the ambassadors of this trend, who has achieved significant success with his high-end products, is none other than Quebecer François Chartier.
From creator of harmonies to “master blender” of sakes
François Chartier, holder of the Sopexa Grand Pri for best international sommelier in wines and spirits in France in 1994, author, consultant, lecturer and aroma specialist, is known for his scientific contribution to “molecular harmony”, a discipline that he created in 2002. His 35 years of traveling the world to analyze the greatest wines, with his Chartier World Lab, attracted the attention of a Japanese businessman, who decided to entrust him with the future of his brewery sake in Japan.
“I had never made it before. This art is sacred in Japan. The master sake maker (toji) is highly respected; his knowledge is passed down from generation to generation,” explains Mr. Chartier. However, Toshihiko Tabata, the man behind several holding companies and the new owner of Tanaka Shuzo in Japan, met the Quebecer and did not hesitate to ask him to create sakes for his establishment. “He had just bought this establishment, whose production had started in 1789, but the toji was dead and he had no children to take over. It was an opportunity for him to renew the Tanaka brand a little and open markets abroad. »
Unlike Quebec, Japan is facing a significant decline in sake consumption, and breweries must reinvent themselves to avoid closing their doors. It was in this context that Mr. Tabata asked François Chartier to help him find a way to develop exports to compensate for the decline in local sales. “He really liked what I had done with my Chartier range of wines, created in collaboration with Bordeaux oenologist Pascal Chatonnet. So he entrusted me with the role of master blenderfor its brewery, but it was a small revolution in traditions, because in Japan, sake blending was not done. It is the purity of the product that we are looking for. »
The creator of harmonies established his project with the idea of making sake like wine to conquer the palates of Westerners. “The future is the foreign market. So, I began to think about sake with a new perspective: a more sustained acidity, ancestral methods, different types aged for a long time. And this, with the aim of magnifying them through the art of blending, just as we do for the great wines of châteaux in Bordeaux.”
Let time do its work
This representation of sake intended for wine lovers is not only revolutionary for Japan, but another philosophy is also added to the extraordinary creation that François Chartier offers. “By developing certain products in vats for several months, I realized that the result gave them texture and power as well as the potential for aging in the bottle. » Such a unique concept for Japan, which consumes 98% of its sake during the year. In 2018, François Chartier began breeding for 14 to 20 months, he says. “I started to age them for three months, then six, and each time I blended them with more complex vintages. I realized that the evolution was remarkable after 14 to 16 months. We obtained more umami like in great wines. Sake is generally five times less acidic than wine, but I manage to make it with a natural acidity and a texture close to that of great wines. »
By imagining the first vintage of Blend 001 Junmai, from the Tanaka 1789 X Chartier range, the aroma specialist revolutionizes the genre with his concept. Blend 001 2018 is now available in 34 countries.
In Quebec, the second label, the Pavillon of Blend 001 2019 Tanaka 1789 X Chartier, entered the SAQ last year ($84.25) — and a new order is expected soon, promises François Chartier. Made with part of the blend from his grand Blend 001, it is comparable, according to its creator, to a second Bordeaux wine, with a richer and fuller texture than traditional sakes. Other creations by François Chartier, including a collaboration with his friend, Portuguese winemaker Dirk Niepoort, will also be available in Quebec soon.
Since the release of the first Blend 001 Tanaka 1789 x Chartier, several Japanese breweries have asked the master blender a helping hand to renew their brand. This fall, another project, in which François Chartier has been involved for two years, will see the light of day. The Essence 5 By Chartier collection, sakes that he has assembled in small kuras (cellars) artisanal, will be available on the Quebec market. Its slogan defines it well: ” Acting locally to make sake shine internationally » (acting locally to promote sake internationally).
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.