Represented by Richard Geoffroy

Attending:
New York City

Founder & Maker, Richard Geoffroy

Richard Geoffroy’s pursuit of harmony steered him to the highest reaches of his profession. The fifth and former Chef de Cave of Dom Pérignon, Geoffroy is known for his creativity, and exactitude within every aspect of his craft. He was born in the heart of Champagne to a family of Côte des Blanc winegrowers. Now, in his latest endeavor IWA, Geoffroy applies his talent to an even more storied art form: Nihonshu, or Sake of Japan.

Geoffroy is a world-renowned winemaker whose contribution has left an indelible impression on the world of fine wine. Immersed in an environment of wine and grapes from a young age, Geoffroy was

poised for the career he would later realize. After completing a medical doctorate, he later returned to his roots and enrolled in the École Nationale d’OEnologie in Reims, one of the world’s most respected wine schools. After completing his studies in 1985, he worked for various wineries in the New and Old Worlds where he gained invaluable expertise, and experience in the production of sparkling wine. Geoffroy was appointed as Chef de Cave at Dom Pérignon in 1990. Over the next three decades, Geoffroy led the rejuvenation of Dom Pérignon into one of the world’s most iconic luxury brands.

Upon retiring from Dom Pérignon in 2018, Geoffroy entered a new chapter of his life, turning his attention to Japan. Following his countless trips to the country that sparked his love for its culture and people, he was inspired by a desire to contribute to the hallowed craft of sake. Resetting his challenges to bring an element of innovation to a production with over a thousand years of tradition integral to Japan’s identity, Geoffroy founded IWA Sake of Japan in 2019.

Pioneering a New Craft in the World of Sake

Essentially true to sake, deeply and proudly rooted in Japan, IWA’s ambition is to achieve full international recognition. Its first realization is IWA 5. IWA’s brand name is inspired directly by its birthplace of Shiraiwa. Its state-of-the-art kura is designed to honor ancient sake-brewing techniques guided by a modern approach. A universal symbol of harmony, the number five represents Assemblage, the art form of blending.

Pioneering the Assemblage of different varieties of rice and yeast while exploring the potential of bottle maturation, IWA 5 achieves superlative balance and complexity in sake. It revisits the equilibrium between nose and palate to achieve the flow of paradoxical richness and weightlessness.

IWA embraces the diversity of different cultures to offer a new and exciting proposition to the world. Each Assemblage tells a story, uniquely versatile to pair with a wide spectrum of cuisines and moments of consumption, far beyond its origins in Japan. Geoffroy’s groundbreaking approach reflects in IWA’s vision for universality.