Articles by: Charly Iten

Chocolate Meets Sake Workshop

by 13/02/2024 in General Comments are Disabled

A Culinary Experience

15th March 2024, Konomi Festival Basel

Premium Sake is conquering the hearts of top chefs more and more, as it often manages to combine taste and aroma components better than wine. Especially, the combination with chocolate results in taste explosions. Shireen von Schulthess (Nala the Chocolate Queen) has therefore been experimenting for quite some time with Premium Sake, supported by Master Sake Sommelier Charly Iten. In the workshop, the two experts will show you how to pair chocolate and sake to create the most impressive pairings. In addition, you will learn a lot about their production.

For further details and tickes click here: Konomi Festival

World Sake Day 2023

by 15/09/2023 in General Comments are Disabled
World Sake Day 2023

It’s again „World Sake Day“ on 1st October!
To celebrate this event you are welcome to a Sake tasting in the venue of charly iten art affairs. 

From 1.30pm to 5.30pm you can taste different Premium Sakes. 
We ask for a reservation in advance since the number of seats is limited.

Get in contact with us!

Sake & Dine – An Evening Inspired by Japan

by 09/08/2023 in General Comments are Disabled

Saturday 2nd September 2023 6.30pm

Experience a delicious 5-course menu by Franco Körperich that takes you far away.
Along with the food comes an exclusive range of Premium Sakes selected by Master Sake Sommelier Charly Iten.

Price per person: CHF 250.- including Sake, water & coffee.

Since the number of seats is limited we ask you to make a reservation.

For further information just have a look at the flyer: Sake & Dine 

Sake Food Pairing Workshop GFF 23

by 28/06/2023 in General Comments are Disabled

Get in the mood with the film UMAMI at Kino Seehof Zug and then go to the Restaurant Unico where you join an Umami experience with Dr. Charly Iten.
Iten, Switzerland’s first Master Sake Sommelier and Japan expert, will make you familiar with the fascinating world of Premium Sakes. During the workshop you will learn that Premium Sake is not only highly versatile, but can also be used beyond clichés with any kind of international cuisine.
Immerse yourself in the world of tastes and aromas of this beverage that is still treated as a quite exotic one. Especially Umami, the fifth taste sensation, represents an exciting field of experimentation for food parings with Premium Sakes.

The talented chef Noémie and her team from Restaurant Unico are definitely no longer an insider tip in Zug. The young Swiss with Sicilian roots has more than 16 years of gastronomic experience and impresses with her creative cuisine. Her motto: chic, but down to earth, gourmet, but still soul food!

Costs per person
CHF 120.- incl. cinema ticket, 4-course appetizers, Sake & water

Ticket Sale
directly on the the Festival Website

The number of seats is limited to 22 persons

Sake and Beef Strips Asia Style

by 31/05/2021 in Sake Food Pairing Blog Comments are Disabled

A noodle dish with an Asian touch having medium fried, marinated beef strips and various vegetables, all seasoned in a spicy manner, is always a culinary delight.

Regarding a suitable Sake for pairing a choice is recommended that can handle the Umami as well as the spiciness of the dish.

The choice made here was the Amabuki Banana Junmai Daiginjō with a polishing rate of 50%. It’s an unpasteurised Sake that has a wonderful freshness and pronounced banana notes.

Its fruitiness, paired paired with a pleasant sweetness, harmonises very well with the spicy notes of the dish. The top spiciness is broken by this Sake and rounded off harmoniously.

Charly Iten Sake Food Pairing mit Rindsstreifen

The dish’s Umami is in balance with the Sake’s Umami so that the overall experience is a very appealing culinary pleasure.

Sake and Veal Chop

by 12/11/2020 in Sake Food Pairing Blog Comments are Disabled

A wonderful veal chop with a hearty potato gratin is just what you need in this cooler season when it comes to soul food.

As an accompanying drink I’ve chosen the Ranman Daiginjō genshu from Akita Prefecture in the far north of Honshū.

This sake made with Yamada Nishiki (35% polishing rate) and an undiluted alcohol volume between 17-18% is a real powerhouse.
Despite the higher alcohol content it is wonderfully balanced. In the nose and on the palate it presents itself with a complex, very appealing mixture of different fruity notes, paired with a pleasant acid structure and a medium body.

Together with the chops and the potato gratin it creates a culinary experience that is just pure fun.