Sake is so much more than just the national and most popular alcoholic beverage in Japan. No Shinto ceremony is complete without sake, no banquet is left without sake, nor is it devoid of religiously inspired rites.

In a country otherwise known for automating many processes, sake brewing remains intimately linked to the Japanese identity. Becoming Tōji-san, the master brewer, is a question of an enormous amount of work and human know-how. Keeping long lineages of brewers alive who pass on ancestral knowledge from father to son over centuries makes Sake also a human gateway to the past.

On September 23, 2020, Matthieu Zellweger, award-winning photographer, joins us again to introduce you to the heritage of sake brewing. The presentation will be followed by a sake tasting, during which Matthieu will surprise us with new sake-food combinations to explore. Furthermore, through his book Secrets of Rice and Water he unveils in images and texts some of the lesser-known aspects of sake brewing. 

Program 

18:00 – Doors open
18:30 – Introduction to sake brewing 
19:00 – Tasting of four different Sakes, each selected by Matthieu Zellweger and paired with a snack
 

Matthieu Zellweger is an award-winning photographer who grew up in French-speaking Switzerland. He specializes in public health and societal reportage. He is also a fully trained scientist with over 15 years of involvement in public health matters, and a graduate in International Political Economy. His images appeared in various magazines (New York Times, BBC World, Burn Magazine, Der Spiegel online, Le Temps, GEO, NZZ, l'Hebdo, l'Humanité, Jeune Afrique, Phosphore, l'Illustré, Animan). He is represented and distributed by Haytham Pictures/ REA Photo (Paris).