Iwate-brewed sake wins top prize at London contest

A sake produced by a brewery in northeastern Japan won the top prize in its category Thursday at one of the world's largest wine contests in London.The International Wine Challenge Champion Sake award went to the Tokubetsu Junmai sake from the Nanbu Bijin brewery in Iwate Prefecture, which was damaged by the March 2011 earthquake tsunami disaster, but is now exporting its products to 34 countries."A big challenge from a small town has borne fruit," said Kosuke Kuji, president of the Ninohe city brewery whose name means "beautiful southern woman" in Japanese.The Champion Sake award is given …READ FULL ARTICLE