Artisan SakeMaker & CMC Sake + Wine Merchants

05/28/2024

Sake Kasu Packing!
This batch is very good quality, tender and tasty.
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Our Sake Kasu is powerful food that rich in protein, vitamin Bs, fibres, and other minerals!
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I use Sake Kasu to marinate fish or meat, add umami to miso soup, and for skin scrub.
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05/10/2024

Mother’s Day is coming soon💐
Have you decided what to send her on this special day?🎁

These are some ideas.
Osake? - Traditional or refreshing bubbly

Food? - Tasty and healthy

Skincare? - Natural skin-food

We are open this weekend from 11am to 6pm.

04/27/2024

Our new product Koji Condiments are now on the shelves!
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Best selling Garlic Ginger is a very useful base for your dishes such as curry, stir-fry with vegetables and sauce for fish or meat!
Koji is a fermented rice with a saccharification culture.
It has great effects on our health as well.

-Promotion of digestion and absorption
-It can lead to obesity prevention and potential health benefits
-The enzymes in Koji break down proteins in meat and fish, making them tender.
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If you are interested, please visit our store and give it try!!
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04/13/2024

We are so excited to introduce our new products
PREMIUM KOJI CONDIMENT!
Garlic Ginger, Onion, Tomato and Sweet Koji.
We finalized each package for Sakura Days Japan Fair on this weekend.
Please visit our booth to try new Koji Condiment😊
🌸Sakura Days Japan Fair 2024🇯🇵
https://vcbf.ca/event/sakura-days-japan-fair-2024/

ArtisanSakeKoji
Booth: Floral Hall, F7
Products: Premium Koji Condiments and Niigata Koshihikari

See you at the event!

04/12/2024

Thank you ☺️

・・・

This spotlight is on Sparkling Sake 🥂

Fresh from our Granville Island neighbour, comes the Osaka Mirai Sparkling Sake.

Fresh and perfect for Spring, it’s North America’s “first” Champagne of sake, made using the traditional method.

Rich and full with notes of toasty brioche and a lasting, dry finish, it’s basically seafood’s new best friend.

Pair with freshly-shucked West Coast Oysters for a match made in heaven…or as we like to call it, the Pacific North West.

Available now on our Fresh Sheet!

03/30/2024

Thank you for visiting us today!
Hope everyone enjoyed our sake and snacks!
You can enjoy sake flights, by the glass and by the bottle ($10 corkage fee) in our lounge now!
Why don’t we celebrate long weekends with glass of sake under the nice sunshine?🥂
We are open on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday🐰💐

02/29/2024

Happy birthday Yukiko!

02/11/2024

🍴 Osake Milled White Rice Sake Kasu slected one of 7 diverse ingredients at Canadian Culinary Championship Black Box Competition 2024!

Our Sake Kasu is rich in protein, vitamin Bs, fibres, and other minerals! Highly nutricious and flavourful-Talk about that UMAMI.

02/02/2024

💘 Valentine's day is coming soon! 💘
We offer a sake and chocolate pairing until February 18. For only $2 extra, add 2 pieces of Coconama chocolate; Sakekasu bonbon & Yuzu ganache to our tasting menu. 🍫

Our tasting menu:

⚪️Tasting A (Junmai Nama, Junmai Nama Genshu, and Junmai Nama Nigori)

⚪️Tasting B (MIRAI, Junmai Nigori Sparkling, and Apple Yuzu Cooler)

We look forward to seeing you :)

01/18/2024

🇯🇵🎍👘 At the 24th Nikkei Community SHIN-NEN-KAI at the National Nikkei Heritage & Cultural Centre, more than 250 people gathered to celebrate “The Year of the Dragon” with specially prepared Osechi Ryori (traditional menu for the New Year) and, of course, Sake! But not any Sake – Oikawa Island Sake.

The history of “Oikawa Island Sake” dates back to the year 1898 - some 135 years ago – when a man named Jinzaburo Oikawa from Miyagi prefecture in Japan first made Japanese Sake in Canada on a small island he purchased in the middle of the Fraser River in Richmond, British Columbia.

Oikawa Island (Oikawa-jima) was renamed "Don Island" at the beginning of World War II in 1942 and has remained so to this day. Harold Steves (pictured here), a veteran Richmond City Councillor with 51 years of service, took a step forward by advocating the renaming of the island to its original name. He is a hero and an inspiration to all of us with Japanese roots and heritage.Article on Harold Steves and Island Name Change. (Article by Maria Rantanen)
https://www.richmond-news.com/local-news/japanese-names-for-richmond-islands-never-adopted-6792869

Lorene Oikawa ( ) is a descendant of the Oikawa family, whose passion and dedication to preserving the identity and cultural heritage of Japanese Canadians is nationally recognized, and is also a hero and inspiration to all of us who have immigrated to Canada.

Masa Shiroki, founder of Artisan SakeMaker and his life partner Yukiko, together with dedicated staff members on production floor and tasting room on Granville Island’s sake winery, continue to produce Sustainable, Natural and Local Sake for the enjoyment of Vancouverites, Canadians, and visitors from abroad. WE are blessed by the support and encouragement YOU give us to continue what we believe in doing – YOU are the reason we exist!

12/24/2023

🎄 Merry Christmas Everyone! Thank you for your support throughout this year and may the New Year bring you all 365 days of happiness, health, caring and joy! 🎄
Music "Christmas Eve" by Tatsuro Yamash*ta

12/24/2023

Wishing you and your family a safe, healthy and joyous holiday season 🛷🧣🍶🎅🏻🍪❤️

˗ˏˋ Holiday Opening Hours ˎˊ˗

⚫︎ Dec 24 11:30am - 6:00pm
⚫︎ Dec 25 Closed
⚫︎ Dec 26 Closed
⚫︎ Dec 31 11:30am - 6:00pm
⚫︎ Jan 1 Closed
⚫︎ Jan 2 Closed

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

12/20/2023

Best Sparkling Sake for Holiday Season! 🥂🌟💫

⚫︎ Osake Junmai Sparkling - Light, Crisp, Semi-sweet
Popular staple year-round and for those special days of celebration! Food Match: Shellfish, Fruit, Cheese platter, Smoked salmon.

⚫︎ Osake Junmai Sparkling Nigori - Velvety and Off-dry
Enjoy rich mouthfeel and complex flavours. Food Match: Spicy chicken wings, Sweet and sour pork, Shrimp enchilada.

This bubbly brings a lot of fun and enjoyment 🎅🏻🎶 For more information, check out our website or come visit our store on Granville Island :)

12/17/2023

It's a season for Hot Amazake! ☃️🧣❤️
Amazake is a Japanese fermented rice drink. This year we have 4 flavours for you to choose from:

⚫︎ Original
⚫︎ Mango Ginger
⚫︎ Yuzu Lemon
⚫︎ Chai (New!)

Stop by and grab a cup of Amazake to get warm and little more energy for Christmas shopping on Granville Island 🛍️✨

Also we carry 2 types of Sake Kasu. For more information, click the tag and visit our website!

12/14/2023

Don't miss out on our exclusive Holiday offers for a limited time only 🎅🏻❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

⚫︎ For any sake purchase over $100, you receive 2 free sake glasses *In-store only

⚫︎ 20% off a set of 6 sake glasses *In-store purchase ＆ online orders

Check out the tagged items and visit our store on Granvile Island :)

12/08/2023

🎊What a wonderful surprise to be included in the Air Canada Enroute Magazine Food and Drink Guide. We are among great company with other great Canadian artisan products. Thank you, Aman Dosanj, for your careful curation of this exceptional list. We are honoured and grateful for the recommendation.

🙏“Masa Shiroki planted Canada’s only sustainable rice field in Abbotsford, B.C., back in 2012. Today, Shiroki’s brand Artisan SakeMaker offers a variety of Canadian sakes. The Osake Fraser Valley Junmai Renaissance – rich, savoury and complex with a racy acidity and touch of sweetness – exclusively uses B.C.–grown Ginpu sake rice (a grain originating in northern Japan). Get this for the local–loving wine aficionado in your life. $24.29.”

12/08/2023

✨ Orizée Skincare Products 🌾

Yuzu & Shisu Hydrating Cream: This moisturizing, anti-aging and deeply hydrating cream with skin brightening effects is made from SakeKasu, Pacific red algae, avocado and coconut oils, and Yuzu and Shiso.

ORIZÉE product is available online as well as at select spa , specialty retailers including natural food stores, and our store!

11/20/2023

UMAMI laden SAKEKASU has become a star ingredient for all levels of cooking. Enjoy its versatility and nutritional power!

11/01/2023

From our friends .restaurant
A closer look at Chef Akira Kishimoto’s award winning dish
“Nature life cycle from end of Summer to early Fall” from Canada’s Great Kitchen Party Many of you asked us about it so we decided to offer it as a special feature for a limited time. It pairs wonderfully with Artisan Saké Maker’s Osaké Fraser Valley Renaissance Junmai. For this dish and saké we went as local as possible with our ingredients - visiting the farms and even hand harvesting some of ingredients ourselves! The very same BC rice used to make the saké was incorporated into several aspects of the dish, and everything was brought together using Japanese technique and the artistic quality Kishimoto is known for.

Reindeer Lichen “Tree” with Smoked Kelp Powder & Sea Salt, Sunchoke "Ginkgo Leaf" Pickle, Gobo “Trunk” with Sea Buckthorn & Kuri Squash Purée ▪️“Fallen Leaves” of Fried Sunchoke “Ginkgo” & “Red Maple” Beet pickles ▪️“Smokey Fire” Binchotan Grilled Matsutaké ▪️Sungold Tomato “Stump” with Sea Buckthorn Miso, Beet & Daikon “Rings of Tree” Microgreen “New Life” ▪️
Sage Leaf Tuile “End of Summer” with Kinomé Miso Cauliflower, Pickled Carrot, Saké-kasu, Sorrel, Apple, Microgreens, Flowers, Carrot “Butterfly"  ▪️”Begining of Fall” Kobujimé Kelp Cured Duck Breast, Duck Fat Roasted Leek Purée, Takikomi Rice “Soil of the Earth” with Gobo, Matsutaké, Velvet Mushroom & Fried Tofu ▪️

#岸本 #岸本レストラン #岸本バンクーバー #バンクーバー #カナダ

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📷 last photo credit

10/21/2023

What a great night for
Congratulations to all the finalists! Our culinary community is thriving! Thank you to all.

🥇Jasper Cruickshank () from claimed top honours with his Gold medal "Wild BC Experience" featuring Side Stripe Shrimp Terrine, Dungeness Crab Tartlet, Wakame Leek Crisp, and Geoduck Clam Essence. Pairing: 2021 Tradition Pinot Gris, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley. Buoyed by Vancouver's enthusiastic support, Jasper will be advancing to the Canadian Culinary Championship in Ottawa in February 2024.

Silver medallist 🥈Akira Kishimoto () of .restaurant delighted us with Gobo and Matsutake Takikomi BC Rice Kobujime Duck Breast, Duck Fat Roasted Leek Puree, Sage Tuile, Kinome Miso Cauliflower, Gobo & Crispy Lichen "Tree" with Smoked Kelp Powder, Tomato & Sea Buckthorn Miso, Beet & Daikon “Spiral”, and Binchotan Grilled Matsutake. Pairing: Osake Fraser Valley Junmai – Renaissance ().

Bronze medallist 🥉Warren Chow (.chow) of impressed us with Peace Country Lamb Sirloin, Lamb Belly Sausage, Smoked Fraser Valley Duck, Parsnip Purée, Fermented Gooseberry Jus, and Onion Tuile. Pairing: 2020 Syrah, Similkameen Valley.

Warmest congratulations to our People's Choice winner, presented by The Targeted Strategies: Daniel McGee () from .

Our distinguished Best of Show Award honouring top Canadian wineries, breweries, and distilleries, is awarded to:
🍷Gold:  2020 Vintage Cuvée, Nova Scotia
🍷Silver:  2022 Exile, Love, and Misunderstandings Gamay, Naramata Bench
🍷Bronze: 2021 Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley

Heartfelt thanks to all the accomplished chefs who treated us to a night of outstanding cuisine, and to our vibrant performers: , , , , and .

10/18/2023

Have you had this beautiful cured meat made with sake kasu? Oyama Sausage Co. on Granville Island
Island collaboration!

Our Kazu Coppa is one of our most special products we make.

It’s made from the natural by-product of sake (called kazu or kasu) we get from our friends at 🍶

It’s packed with tons of umami flavours and aromatics. We think it’s a must try.

10/17/2023

✨🥂 Canada's Great Kitchen Party 🥂 ✨

We are honoured to be paired with our friend Chef Akira Kishimoto () from Kishimoto Restaurant with our Osake Fraser Valley Junmai – Renaissance!

The competion is held on Wednesday, October 18 at BC Place Stadium. Nine of Vancouver's top chefs cook head-to-head, to claim the top step of the podium as Vancouver's champion and move on to compete at the 2024 Canadian Culinary Championship.

We wish all the best in the competition 🙏🏻✨ Stay tuned!
restaurant

10/10/2023

🍶 OSAKE JUNMAI RENAISSANCE PAIRED WITH CHEF AKIRA KISHIMOTO DISH AT THE GREAT CANADIAN KITCHEN PARTY

⌛On Wednesday, October 18 at BC Place nine of Vancouver's top chefs cook head-to-head, to claim the top step of the podium as Vancouver's champion and move on to compete at the 2024 Canadian Culinary Championship.

🙏 We are honoured to be paired with our friend Chef Akira Kishimoto from Kishimoto Restaurant with our Osake Fraser Valley Junmai – Renaissance and wish all the best in the competition.

🚜🥂 “Farm to Glass” - A modern sake with characteristics of bracing acidity, complex flavours, superior balance, and maturity.




🍽️ Since 2011, Kishimoto has been serving up some of the best Japanese cuisine in the city. The 30-seat restaurant is in the heart of Commercial Drive. A casual and inviting space, run by a close-knit team and a tiny but mighty kitchen. Known for their artful plating and delicious fresh sushi, they also offer unique and creative takes on Japanese classics. The real magic can be found in Chef Kishimoto's seasonal specials and tasting menu.

09/03/2023

SUNDAY SEPT. 3!
We will be tuning in to our friend Chef Sang on TLN Television for his new series Searching with Chef Sang.
Premieres September 3 | Sundays at 8PM EST
This new TLN original documentary series follows celebrated chef and writer Sang Kim on a culinary road trip across his home province. Over the course of six half-hour episodes, Sang travels to meet a colourful, multi-generational cast of Korean Canadians, each with their own unique perspectives and recipes to share.

Searching with Chef Sang is a documentary series that follows celebrated chef and writer Sang Kim on a culinary road trip across Ontario.

09/02/2023

We're here! Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centremuseum 🏮

Try our flight of 3 different sakes. It's $8 plus tax and it includes:

▪️Apple Yuzu Cooler (Refreshing)
▪️Osake Junmai Nama Sparkling (Light & Crisp)
◾️Yukihotaru (Light Sake)

Don't miss this chance! Looking forward to seeing you guys at the Beer Garden 😉

09/01/2023

We are having an Artisan Sakemaker booth at the 2023 Nikkei Festival 🌼 🌼

Come visit us, and try our flight of 3 different sake, at the Beer & Sake Garden!

It's $8 plus tax and it includes:

🔸Apple Yuzu Cooler
🔸Junmai Nama (Sparkling Sake)
🔸Yukihotaru (Light Sake)

📍Location
▫️Nikkei Centre in Burnaby

🕐 Date & Time
▫️Sep 1st: 5pm - 10pm
▫️Sep 2nd & 3rd: 11am - 7pm

07/19/2023

Rice plants are flowering now in Abbotsford. 50 more days until full maturity by turning to bright golden colour. These precious seeds magically become delicious Sake!
Kampai!! 🥂
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07/16/2023

It's National Ice Cream Day! Come on by for some Sake Ice Cream! 📷 Diana Chan. Granville Island

07/01/2023

It's a great day to visit Granville Island Hope you'll stop by and say hello!

06/10/2023

Heading to Granville Island? You can come and pick up a bottle of our sake, and our neighbours' libations, and drink it while taking in the spectacular views and entertainment in the Public Market and the Courtyard! There are lots of great food items that pair excellently with our sake. Come down and we'll discuss some options.