Wine sommeliers that step in to do beverage pairings that include wine and sake with sushi omakase are more of a modernistic approach, I don’t think that was done until the last 10 years or so (and is more prevalent now, partly to help the sake industry and the fact that some sake distribution is intertwined with wine importers so restaurants that procure wine hit up the same distributors for the entire portfolio, a common practice amongst Michelin high end non Japanese fine dining). This is actually a welcome change for those wanting a more diverse experience with beverage pairings. The flip side of that, is now sake breweries have to come up with drinks that capture the market and brews that are more modern style (less traditional), which can be both good and bad, in order to compete with wine.
The sommeliers at the likes of Noz, Tori-En NY (the somm there is actually ex L’Effervescence Tokyo), Brooklyn Chef’s Table Brooklyn Fare, are all WSET sake certified and also in wine. But at the same time they can be limited to the portfolio they work with.
