Sake Trend February 2026 Newsletter - Hinoe Uma - Fire Hose year

🍶 Welcome to 2026 — The Year of Hinoe Uma 🔥🐎

We’re excited to share our very first newsletter of 2026 with you!

This year is Hinoe Uma (Fire Horse) in the traditional Japanese zodiac cycle — a symbol of strength, passion, and forward movement. Fire represents transformation and inner energy, while the Horse represents drive, vitality, and connection.

Rather than viewing Hinoe Uma as intense, we embrace it as a year of courage, resilience, and bold new beginnings — a time to strengthen ourselves from within and move confidently toward meaningful growth.

At Sake Trend, the owner has been focusing on cultivating that inner strength — not just personally, but in order to better serve others and give back to the community through sake. For us, sake is more than a drink. It carries craftsmanship, history, regional pride, and the stories of the people behind each bottle.

We have been in conversation with several community organizations and are preparing exciting sake events for this year.

🎉 Upcoming Events
San Diego Event (April)
We’ve also been invited to participate in a special event in San Diego this April. More details will be announced very soon — stay tuned
OC Japan Fair (Costa Mesa, Orange County)

https://www.oc-japanfair.com/

We are currently selecting a fun and rare lineup of sake for the VIP section — and we can’t wait to share our curated picks with you. The full selection will be announced in March!

The OC Japan Fair is one of the largest cultural events in Southern California, and we are truly honored to be part of it this year. It’s such a vibrant celebration of Japanese culture, community, and connection — and being entrusted with the Sake Section means so much to us.

We’re already starting to recognize some familiar names on the RSVP list (LOL!) and it makes us so happy. We would absolutely love to see you there again — whether it’s your first time or your annual tradition with us.

💛 A Special Thank You

Sake Trend would also like to give a huge shout out and heartfelt thank you to Coco, the owner of Japanese Sake Sisters, IG@JSS who encouraged us to be part of the OC Japan Fair.

Coco is an incredibly smart, kind, and inspiring woman who is also active in the entertainment industry. Her positive energy, generosity, and encouragement gave us the push to move forward with confidence. We are deeply grateful for her support and friendship.

And of course — thank you to all of YOU.

Your support, enthusiasm, and continued presence at our events give us the courage to grow. Seeing familiar faces return is one of the greatest rewards of what we do.

Let’s make this Fire Horse year bold, joyful, and full of connection — together.

With gratitude,

🍶 Community & Culture: A Sake Lecture for a Meaningful Cause

On December 13, 2025, I had the honor of conducting my very first sake lecture at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose.
This special event was held as a fundraising lecture benefiting both the museum and Yu-Ai Kai, two organizations that play vital roles in supporting and preserving the Japanese American community.

🌸 Supporting Our Community

Yu-Ai Kai is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for seniors and families through social services, wellness programs, and cultural activities.

The Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) preserves and shares Japanese American history through exhibitions, education, and community-centered events.

Both organizations rely on community support and are always welcoming volunteers who wish to give back and stay connected. Their work is a powerful reminder of how culture, care, and community are deeply intertwined.

🍶 The Sake Lecture Experience

For this event, I virtually connected from Japan, guiding participants through seven different styles of sake, each selected to highlight the diversity of regional craftsmanship, rice varieties, and brewing techniques.

A particularly memorable highlight was the introduction of two styles of warm sake. Using flat ochoko cups, we recreated a drinking style inspired by Heian-period nobility, honoring traditions from over 1,300 years ago.

In ancient Japan, sake was often enjoyed warm by aristocrats not only because of the climate, but also because early brewing methods benefited from gentle heating. Warming sake helped:
Soften sharper edges in flavor,
Enhance aroma and umami,
Create a refined, elegant drinking experience

Experiencing sake this way allowed us to connect with history—tasting sake not just as a beverage, but as a cultural expression passed down through generations.

💛 Gratitude & Looking Ahead

This lecture was more than a tasting—it was a shared moment of learning, history, and connection. I am deeply grateful to everyone who joined and supported this event, helping Yu-Ai Kai and JAMsj continue their meaningful work in the community.

We truly love connecting with the community, and sake is one of the ways we bring people together across generations and cultures.

📣 Future Sake Events

We will be offering sake lectures and sake tasting events on an irregular or by-request basis, and we are happy to share that you will be the first to know when new opportunities become available.

Thank you always for your continued support. We look forward to sharing many more memorable sake experiences with you—one cup at a time. 🍶

Thank you from M

Certified Sake Sommelier (SSI) - Kikisake-shi, Certified Sake Lecturer (SSI), Certified Sake Scholar (SSC)

🍶 Featured Sake of the Season: Nabeshima New Moon

We’re excited to introduce Nabeshima New Moon, a highly anticipated seasonal release from the renowned sake brand Nabeshima. Bottled immediately after pressing, this fresh-pressed Junmai Ginjo captures the vibrant energy and purity of newly brewed sake.
True to its name, “New Moon” symbolizes a fresh beginning. This sake is pure, lively, and full of momentum, offering a fleeting expression that can only be enjoyed at this moment in the brewing season.
✨ What Makes It Special
Brewed with 100% Oyamanishiki rice from the Nanto Agricultural Cooperative in Toyama, polished to 50%, Nabeshima New Moon beautifully showcases the rice’s elegant umami and clean structure.
As an unpasteurized (Nama) and undiluted (Genshu) sake, it delivers exceptional freshness, depth, and vitality—bright yet refined.

🍏 Tasting Highlights
Aroma: Fresh green apple, white peach, and pear with a clean, youthful ginjo fragrance
Palate: Juicy and vibrant with a gentle natural spritz; smooth yet energetic
Flavor: Delicate sweetness and refined rice umami that open gracefully
Finish: Crisp, refreshing, and clean, leaving an inviting aftertaste

📋 Specifications
Rice: 100% Oyamanishiki (Toyama Prefecture, Nanto JA)

Rice Polishing Ratio: 50
Style: Junmai Ginjo / Nama / Genshu / Fresh-Pressed
Availability: Limited seasonal release
Storage: Keep refrigerated