Shichiken Sake: Mountain Water, Tradition, and Japanese Sparkling Sake

One bottle is lightly cloudy and velvety. Another is dry, with aromas the brewery compares to pink grapefruit. A third rests in whisky casks, and the brewery describes maple and vanilla-like notes. All three are Shichiken sake (七賢), and they come from the same family brewery in Yamanashi Prefecture. That brewery, Yamanashi Meijo, has stood beside the old Koshu Kaido highway at the foot of Mount Kaikoma since 1750. Today, its bottle-fermented sparkling sake has become a prominent part of its international profile. In 2026, its Hoshi no Kagayaki won the President’s Award at Kura Master in Paris. TOCWhat Is Shichiken Sake? Shichiken is the main sake brand of Yamanashi Meijo, a brewery founded in 1750 in Hakushu, Yamanashi Prefecture. It makes both still sake, including junmai and junmai daiginjo, and bottle-fermented sparkling sake. For brewing, it relies on natural subterranean water from the Mount Kaikoma system that springs up within the brewery grounds. Quick Facts: Shichiken Sake BrandShichiken (七賢, “Seven Sages”) ProducerYamanashi Meijo Co., Ltd. (山梨銘醸株式会社) PlaceDaigahara, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture Founded1750; incorporated in 1925 WaterNatural subterranean ...