Special Events

Sake begins with simple ingredients, although the transformation is anything but simple. In this session, we’ll explore how rice, water, kōji mold, and fermentation come together to create the flavors, aromas, textures, and styles we find in the glass. We’ll taste through the building blocks of sake and learn how small choices in brewing can lead to very different drinking experiences.

Russ King, founder of Deep Dive Sake School, helps people move from “I like this” to “I know why I like this.” His teaching of Japanese sake is curious, structured, hands-on, and never more complicated than it needs to be. Join us on the second Sunday of every month for an exploration of one of the world’s greatest beverages. You’ll taste a variety of sakes–paired with snacks from izanami–with a different theme each session.

Jump in any time—each class will expand your appreciation of sake. Click below for more details and to purchase tickets.  Keep scrolling down to see classes scheduled through the end of the year.

celebrate the end of the rice harvest & the beginning of the brewing season with us at santa fe's 3rd official sake day testing festival. 

• 4 tables/30 different varieties of sake
• poured by our importers and resident experts
• take home a commemorative tasting cup!
• copious small plates from the kitchen of chef kiko
• 170-pound whole tuna carved before your eyes and served as sashimi 
• come early, come late, stay for an hour or three

$119 per person + tax (includes gratuity)

Four rounds. Two ancient rivals. One winner—you be the judge!

In one corner: French wine, cellar-aged and cunning. In the other: sake, created with monk-like patience by Japan's master brewmakers. Chef Kiko Rodriguez has built four spectacular courses—each paired with a glass of wine and a glass of sake, each libation certain it will leave as champion.

Mariachis serenade the undercard. Luchadores work the room. Score every course, then cast your vote at the final bell. Whoever you crown, you walk away the real winner.

VIP Entry — 5:30 PM | Reserved seating, drinks, snacks, mariachis — $295
General Admission — Doors 6:45 PM, Match 7:00 PM — $245
Tax, tip, and fees included

Sake is not finished when fermentation ends. In this session, we’ll look at the choices that shape sake on its way from tank to glass: pressing, filtering, dilution, pasteurization, aging, and release. Along the way, we’ll taste how those choices can make sake feel clear, cloudy, fresh, bold, soft, vivid, or beautifully composed.

Russ King, founder of Deep Dive Sake School, helps people move from “I like this” to “I know why I like this.” His teaching of Japanese sake is curious, structured, hands-on, and never more complicated than it needs to be. Join us on the second Sunday of every month for an exploration of one of the world’s greatest beverages. You’ll taste a variety of sakes–paired with snacks from izanami–with a different theme each session.

Jump in any time—each class will expand your appreciation of sake. Click below for more details and to purchase tickets.  Keep scrolling down to see classes scheduled through the end of the year.

This session explores okan — the world of gently warmed sake — and how temperature changes aroma, texture, sweetness, acidity, umami, and finish. We’ll taste why some sake become softer, deeper, and more food-friendly with warmth, and how to know when to ask for sake chilled, room temperature, or warm.

Russ King, founder of Deep Dive Sake School, helps people move from “I like this” to “I know why I like this.” His teaching of Japanese sake is curious, structured, hands-on, and never more complicated than it needs to be. Join us on the second Sunday of every month for an exploration of one of the world’s greatest beverages. You’ll taste a variety of sakes–paired with snacks from izanami–with a different theme each session.

Jump in any time—each class will expand your appreciation of sake. Click below for more details and to purchase tickets.  Keep scrolling down to see classes scheduled through the end of the year.

Cloudy sake is one of the most visually inviting styles of sake, but nigori is often misunderstood. In this session, we’ll explore how cloudiness affects texture, sweetness, dryness, body, and food pairing. We’ll taste a range of cloudy expressions and learn why nigori can be creamy, light, dry, sweet, playful, or surprisingly food-friendly.

Russ King, founder of Deep Dive Sake School, helps people move from “I like this” to “I know why I like this.” His teaching of Japanese sake is curious, structured, hands-on, and never more complicated than it needs to be. Join us on the second Sunday of every month for an exploration of one of the world’s greatest beverages. You’ll taste a variety of sakes–paired with snacks from izanami–with a different theme each session.

Jump in any time—each class will expand your appreciation of sake. Click below for more details and to purchase tickets.