London Welcomes SANE: London's First Dedicated Sake & Wine Bar

London's hospitality scene has welcomed a pioneering new drinks destination with the opening of SANE, the capital's first dedicated sake and wine bar. Founded by renowned sommelier Maxime Maiano, the premium venue is designed to bring together the worlds of fine wine and premium sake through expertly curated drinks, pairing-led dining and sommelier-driven education.

Built on the belief that sake and wine deserve to be part of the same conversation, SANE offers guests the opportunity to discover both categories side by side through guided tasting flights, carefully sourced bottles and a food menu created to showcase the versatility of each drink.

The wine programme focuses on exceptional, small-production wines sourced directly from producers, while the sake collection celebrates premium expressions from respected breweries and specialist importers. Alongside this, guests can enjoy pairing menus featuring delicate seafood, artisanal cheeses and charcuterie, challenging traditional perceptions of sake and demonstrating its place within modern premium dining.

At the heart of SANE is an immersive and educational approach to hospitality. Guests can select tasting flights that pair a trio of dishes with different wines and sakes, allowing them to experience first-hand how each beverage interacts with the same flavours. Every experience is guided by an expert sommelier, with storytelling, provenance and craftsmanship central to the service.

"SANE was created to make sake more accessible while celebrating the similarities it shares with fine wine," says founder and general manager Maxime Maiano.

"There is still a huge opportunity within the UK hospitality industry to introduce guests to the depth, craftsmanship and versatility of premium sake. We wanted to create a space where discovery feels exciting rather than intimidating, whether you're a seasoned wine lover or trying sake for the very first time."

Maiano brings extensive experience from some of London's most prestigious hospitality venues. Over the past four years he has specialised exclusively in Japanese and Michelin-starred restaurants, including senior sommelier roles at Oblix at The Shard, where he restructured the wine programme. He also played an instrumental role in launching two restaurants and two bars at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, creating four wine lists, building sommelier teams and contributing to the success of Somssi (formerly Dosa), which was awarded a Michelin star just four months after opening.

Most recently, Maiano worked alongside Jason Atherton on the sake and no-and-low programme for Row on 5, further strengthening his expertise in premium beverage experiences within Michelin-level hospitality.

Originally trained in political science, marketing and communications at École de Sciences Politiques, Maiano later completed an MSc in Oenology in Bordeaux before founding a business supporting French and Italian wineries exporting to the UK. Following the pandemic, he returned to the restaurant industry with a clear ambition: to create a venue dedicated to celebrating both sake and wine. That vision has now become a reality with the opening of SANE.

As global interest in premium sake continues to grow, SANE aims to become London's destination for discovery-led drinking experiences, introducing more consumers and hospitality professionals to the diversity, craftsmanship and food-pairing potential of one of the world's most exciting drinks categories.