Atsuhide Hoshiyama is a wine and Sake professional based in Hyogo—the biggest Sake-making prefecture in Japan and famous for the region of Special A rice field. In 2002, he started his career working for his family-owned restaurant—Yakiniku House Rengaya.
Since joining the industry, Atsuhide has achieved numerous wine and Sake qualifications: Japan Sommelier Association (J.S.A.) Sommelier Excellence (the highest wine qualification in Japan) in 2013; International A.S.I. Sommelier Diploma in 2014; WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine & Spirits and WSET Level 3 Award in Sake in 2019; and J.S.A. Sake Diploma in 2020. He is currently a student in the Masters of Wine program, which he began in 2021 and won the IWSC Foundation scholarship when he took the entrance exam.
Atsuhide has frequently been one of the top contenders for sommelier competitions and other contests in Japan. In 2014, he won the Wines of Portugal Japanese Best Sommelier Contest, and he was a finalist of the 8th All Japan Best Sommelier Contest in 2017.
He was also drafted to join the J.S.A. board of trustees. Atsuhide is in the technical research department of wine (which makes the official wine textbook, examination of the wine qualifications, sommelier contests and wine educational materials) and Sake department (which makes the official Sake textbook examination of the Sake qualifications, Sake professional contests and Sake educational materials). He is just one person who belongs to both wine and Sake departments.
He is also an official educator of WSET. He is registered as a teacher for Level 2 and 3 of wine, Level 3 of Sake and Wines of Germany. He was also a judge of the international wine competition Concours Mondial de Bruxelles SAKE SELECTION.
Atsuhide has a unique personality with an abundance of energy and a passion for wine and Sake. In 2021, he joined The Wine Advocate as the Sake reviewer. He hopes that he can contribute to the development of the Sake industry through his various activities. Prior to beginning his career in wine and Sake, he was a car racer in his youth and still enjoys watching car races today.
