Japanese Sake : All Japan News,Inc

By Yuji Matsumoto

Even if it is good tasting, if you're not able to relay that, customers will not try it. Also, if the timing to relay the information and contents are not sufficient, this will not lead to sales. We like to talk about how we can relay the appeal of sake to customers with the right timing and ideal content that will lead to sales.

Who are we relaying the information to?
Are you providing sufficient training separately for chefs, servers, and bartenders? Just by giving a little taste, there is absolutely no way you can explain the fineness of sake to customers. You need to make them thoroughly understand why a particular sake is delicious. Also, you can only understand 10% of the fineness of the sake if you drink it as a single item, so you definitely need to make them try the sake with the right dish.

Timing
We certainly feel that instead of a server asking "What would you like to have?" when taking a drink order from a customer, change it to "How would you like a cold, very delicious glass of sake?" It will make a big difference when you ask this.

Content we are relaying

For example, "Would you like to try AAA brand of Niigata which is dry and refreshing?" or
"Would you like to try BBB brand of Akita which has the fullness that goes well with teriyaki etc?" etc, to think of sales talk that is easy for customers to understand and to make them want to try.


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顧客に日本酒の素晴らしさを伝える

どんな美味しいものでも、それを伝えなければ顧客は試さない。また、その情報を伝達するタイミングや内容が適切でなければ、これも販売につながらない。では、どのようなタイミングで適切に日本酒の魅力を顧客に伝え、販売につなげるかを考えてみたい。

伝える人は誰なのか
板前、サーバー、バーテンダーなりに適切なトレーニングをしているか。単に少し飲ませただけでは、絶対に日本酒の良さを顧客に説明できないはず。なぜ、この酒は、美味しいのかをしっかりと勉強させること。また、単独で飲んだだけでは、一割もその酒の良さが理解できないので、必ず料理と合わせ試飲をさせること。

タイミング
やはり、サーバーがドリンクオーダーを取る時に顧客に「お飲み物をいかがいたしましょうか？」という一言を、「冷えたとても美味しい日本酒は、いかがですか」と変えてみること。この一言で大きな違いが生まれる。

伝える内容
たとえば、ドライですっきりしていてとてもスシに合う新潟のAAA銘柄はいかがでしょうか？または、照り焼きなどに合うボディーがある秋田のBBB銘柄はいかがでしょうか？など、お客に分かりやすく、トライしてみたくなるセールストークを考える。

 
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向顧客傳達清酒的美妙

即使是何等的美酒，如果顧客不獲知悉，就不會嘗試。而且，如果傳達信息的時機和內容並不合適，亦不能成功作出銷售。那麼，請思考一下在甚麼時機適切地為顧客傳達清酒的魅力會帶來成功的銷售。

由誰傳達
是否以「板前(日式料理廚師)」、服務員或調酒師身份進行了適當的培訓？單純提供試飲，並無法向顧客解釋清酒的優點。請確保顧客已清楚了解這種酒為何美味。另外，單獨喝酒，即使是酒的一成優點亦無法理解；故請配合料理提供試飲。

時機
當服務員聽取飲料訂單時，嘗試將詢問顧客的問題由「請問已決定好飲料了嗎？」更改為「請問要嘗試一下冰涼可口的清酒嗎？」。這句話將會引發重大變化。

傳達內容
考慮一些易於令客戶理解和嘗試的銷售談話。例如「要嘗試干型，與壽司非常匹配的新潟市AAA品牌嗎？」或是「要嘗試酒體飽滿，與照燒等非常匹配的秋田BBB品牌嗎？」等。

 
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고객에게 니혼슈(일본술)의 훌륭함을 전하다

아무리 좋은 것이라도 알리지 않는다면 고객은 시도하지 않습니다. 게다가 그 정보를 전달하는 타이밍과 내용이 적절하지 않다면 판매로 이어지지 않습니다. 그렇다면 어떤 타이밍에 적절하게 니혼슈(일본술)의 매력을 고객에게 전달하여 판매로 연결해나가는 게 좋을지 생각해봅시다.

정보를 전달하는 사람은 누구인가
전문 셰프, 서버, 바텐더, 각각 적절한 교육이 이루어지고 있는지 체크해봅시다. 단순히 한 두 모금 마신 경험 가지고는 절대로 니혼슈의 매력을 고객에게 설명할 수 없을 것입니다. 이 술이 왜 맛있는지를 정확하게 공부시킬 것. 또한 술만 마셔서는 그 술의 장점을 전혀 이해할 수 없으므로 반드시 음식과 함께 시음하게 할 것.

타이밍
서버가 주문을 받을 때 고객에게 하는 "술은 어떻게 하시겠습니까?" 이 한마디를 "정말 맛있는 시원한 니혼슈 한잔 어떻습니까?”로 바꿔 볼 것. 이 한마디로 인해 큰 변화가 생길 것입니다.

고객에게 전달할 내용
예를 들어, 드라이하고 깔끔한 맛이 있어 초밥과 아주 잘 어울리는 니가타AAA 등급은 어떻습니까? 또는 구이요리에 잘 어울리는 바디감 있는 아키타 BBB는 어떻습니까? 등등 고객이 이해하기 쉽고 시도해보고 싶어할 만한 세일즈 토크를 고안해보면 좋을 것입니다.

By Kosuke Kuji

Sparkling sake in Japan is broadly divided into 2 main types.
The first type is “bottled sparkling sake clouded by secondary fermentation.”
The other type is “clear sparkling sake with added gas,” the common and delicious, long-established type sold in Japan.
However, looking outward to the world, sparkling alcohol consist mostly of “clear bottled alcohol by secondary fermentation” with French champagne as the most common of brands.
Clear bottled alcohol by secondary fermentation is higher in value than clear sake with added gas, with the clear sake showcasing beautiful bubbles.
To introduce Japanese sake and compete on the world stage, I foresaw over 20 years ago that champagne would become the beverage to ‘toast’ with, to be followed by white wine according to the world standard.
To get non-Japanese nationals to taste Japanese sake in this setting, I was convinced that Japanese sake had to be the first beverage served. However, although toasting with sake is normal in Japan, non-Japanese nationals typically toast to “sparkling” alcoholic beverage, which I knew would be difficult to achieve with the two types of sake described above. That was when I received a call from Noriyoshi Nagai, President of the sake brewery “Mizubasho” in Gunma prefecture.


「日本酒の新スパークリング【awa酒】とは」その１

日本酒のスパークリングと言えば、日本では大きく分けて2つのタイプになります。
1つは「瓶内二次発酵で濁っている生酒」タイプ。
もう1つは「ガスを添加するもので透明」タイプ。
これらは昔から日本の中で日本人に愛されてきた、日本では当たり前で素晴らしいスパークリング日本酒です。
しかし、世界に目を向けてみると、スパークリングのアルコールと言えば、フランスのシャンパンを筆頭に「瓶内二次発酵（ガスを添加しない）で透明」なものがほとんどです。
瓶内二次発酵のスパークリングはガス添加のものよりも価値が高く、透明なのはその美しい泡を見せるために必須です。
私は20年以上前から世界に日本酒で挑戦していく時に、どうしても「乾杯」のお酒がシャンパンになると、次に日本酒を飲むことがなかなか難しい事を体験的にとても感じていました。
シャンパンを飲むと、その次はやはり普通に白ワインになってしまいますし、それが世界のスタンダードです。
そんな中で、どうしても日本酒をノンジャパニーズの方々に飲んでもらうには、スタートのお酒を日本酒にしなければいけないと考えていました。しかし、日本ではスティルの日本酒で乾杯する事が当たり前ですが、海外のノンジャパニーズの皆さんはやはり「泡」で乾杯するのが普通で、その日本酒が上記の2つのタイプでは難しい事も実感していました。
そんな中、群馬県の「水芭蕉」蔵元の永井社長から声がかかりました。