What Canada's only master sake sommelier says about serving sake in Niagara, the heart of wine country

To earn the title of master sake sommelier, Yoshi Takaoka says it's not just about knowledge, "we need to demonstrate how to serve the sake perfectly."

Takoaka manages the sake bar at Masaki Sushi in Niagara-on-the-Lake and, since 2010, has studied sake, the traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice.

“Oh my gosh, it was tough,” he said.

A master sake sommelier is the highest qualification that can be obtained in the industry, not easy to achieve for a Canadian. Most certification exams were held in Europe and Asia. Until January 2026, the Sake Sommelier Association hosted exams in North America for the first time.

Vintage Hotels, which owns Masaki Sushi, covered Takaoka’s plane ticket to Portland, Oregon, where he, the only Canadian candidate, would join others coming from institutions all over the world, including Michelin-star restaurants.

"To be accepted onto the master sake sommelier, you have to demonstrate a strong history and experience of working with sake, and what you're wanting to achieve professionally from the qualification," said Rory Coppin, head of Sake Sommelier Association's international development.

Takaoka was mentored by sake samurais, a rare distinction that can only earned by nomination from Japan’s sake brewers, and undergo a blind taste test of 60 sake varieties.

There are no textbooks to prepare for the exams. He says the association’s philosophy is that a true master would already know everything there is about sake.

For example, a master needs to know, he says, that different sakes are to be served in different vessels, from wide-open or narrow cups to ceramic or glass ones.

“I am very excited for Yoshi-san and proud of the work he put in to have earned the accreditation of master sake sommelier,” Russell King, who runs the Deep Dive Sake School, told CBC News.

“He attended a two-day class where he was put through exhaustive blind tasting, theory exams, and practical service exams,” said King, who hopes Takaoka would be the first of many to come.

King says there are currently 52 master sake sommeliers in the world since 2018.

WATCH | Interview with Yoshi Takaoka:

When Takaoka first joined Masaki Sushi as lead server, he remembered working with a limited selection of sake.