Sake's narrow escape from EU ban highlights trade blind spot

VERONA, Italy -- Although Japanese sake narrowly avoided a European Union import ban resulting from a new packaging regulation, the close call highlighted the difficulty of navigating the bloc's complex trade rules.

"Isn't sake a distilled alcoholic beverage?" Japanese diplomats were stunned by a question from a European Commission official in early January. Sake is brewed, not distilled, from sake rice.