Cafes & Wineries

As many of you know, I have a thing for sake, after being introduced to the high-end stuff when I was living and working in Japan. I try to review great sakes here on Vinography as often as I can, while at the same time trying to teach those who are unfamiliar with the stuff a bit more about it.

Some readers, either through their questions, or their outright requests, have rightly pointed out that I have skipped over some of the basics when it comes to sake, and these basics aren′t exactly as well known among my readers as, say, the basics of how to taste wine.

So without further ado, I bring you:

The Vinography Guide to Drinking, Serving, Storing, and Enjoying Sake

What is Sake?
Let’s start with a quick refresher on sake and how it is made. Alcohol made from fermented rice, along with “modern” rice growing techniques, was originally brought to Japan from China in roughly the 3rd century BCE. Like with many things imported from the mainland, over the next few centuries the Japanese adapted and transformed sake into something uniquely theirs. What we know as fine sake today remains a product of rice fermented in spring water with a combination of yeast and a special mold known as koji, which was likely also brought over from the mainland at a later date. Today’s sake, however, bears little resemblance to the sake of past centuries.

Modern sake results from many innovations and refinements, but most dramatically from mechanical rice milling equipment, which has given rise to the various grades of sake that are based upon the degree of milling that each rice kernel receives, as well as sterile filtration, which provides us with the crystalline clear brews that are becoming more and more popular around the world.

Premium sake comes in several varieties, the most common of which can be distinguished primarily by the degree to which the rice kernels used to make it have been milled. In short, the more of each rice kernel that has been stripped away, the higher the grade of sake. Daiginjo sakes, the highest grade, are made from rice kernels that has been milled to less than 50% of its former mass. Ginjo sakes are made from rice kernels milled to between 60% and 51% of their former mass. And honzojo sakes are made from rice kernels milled to between 70% and 61% of their former mass. Finally, in addition to the milling of the rice, premium sake can also be distinguished by whether a small amount of alcohol has been added during the brewing process, a step which some brewers believe yields better aromas and flavors. Those sakes to which alcohol has NOT been added carry the added designation of junmai, which usually precedes the quality designation. E.g., junmai daiginjo or junmai ginjo. Confusingly the lowest grade of junmai sake is not called junmai honzojo, it is merely called junmai.

There are several other less common artisan varieties of sake (aged, natural yeast fermented, etc.) as well as the industrial grade stuff that is served hot in most sushi restaurants that don′t merit addressing at this point.

Why Drink Sake?
Sake has become increasingly popular in recent years for its subtle, delicate flavors and its ability to pair with similarly subtle flavors in many cuisines, including in particular, Asian foods and seafood. Sake also matches a lot of modern cuisine which increasingly draws on Japanese influences, among other Asian localities. In particular, and not surprisingly, sake is a wonderful match with raw fish (which can easily be overwhelmed by some wines) provided, of course, that the fish hasn’t been drowned in soy sauce and wasabi (a common crime).

All of these are simply typical starting points, however. Regular readers know that I don′t believe in the “rules″ of food and wine pairing, which means I also don’t believe in the rules of food and sake pairing. Sake is simply another option for those who enjoy drinking stuff that tastes great along with their food.

Hot Sake Versus Cold Sake
One of the questions that prompted the writing of this article was a reader wanting to know when and what kind of sake to drink cold versus warm. This is an excellent question, and one that many sake beginners have, after having mostly experienced sake in those little warm carafes in sushi bars.

There are two (and a half) factors to consider when warming sake.

The first is the grade or quality of sake. Generally the higher grades of sake (ginjo and daiginjo) are quite delicate in flavor and suffer (rather than benefit) from warming. Lower grades of sake (which can sometimes have rough edges) benefit from warming, which makes them more smooth. Most of the time you’ll want to drink your fine sakes cold (at the same temperature as your white wine).

The second factor to consider in the serving temperature of sake is the flavor profile of sake. Sakes with earthier, gamier flavors often benefit from being served at room temperature or slightly warmed (e.g. 5-10 secs in the microwave). Yamahai sakes (those made with some wild yeasts in the mix) which have dried mushroom flavors, are often better warmed, for instance.

The final consideration with regards to warming sake is simply whether you want something warm to drink. When it’s cold outside, warm sake is great! Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Storing Sake
The most important thing to remember when it comes to storing sake is that most sake isn’t meant to be aged like wine. That’s not to say you can’t do it, but the flavors that most of us are looking for in our fine sake don’t tend to last over time. Fine sake is meant to be drunk within several months of purchase, and if you ever happen to come across the unpasteurized variety of sake known as nama sake (also namazake) this more delicate of brews is meant to be drunk within weeks.

This effectively means that there’s no such thing as a sake collection. I have a bottle or two on hand at any given time, but mostly when I want to drink sake, I go out and buy it a day or two before the occasion.

All sake should be stored in the refrigerator at all times, both before and after opening the bottle. It will keep there for several weeks, and thanks to most bottles being closed with screwcaps, that means I don′t have to worry about not finishing a bottle if I decide to open one with dinner.

Serving and Enjoying Sake
There are two primary ways that I recommend serving sake. The first, and easiest way for wine lovers, is simply to treat it like a white wine — serve it in any glass that you would use for a Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, or other crisp white wine. I recommend making smaller pours than you would for white wine, simply because sake is generally more alcoholic than wine, and smaller pours get consumed before they can warm up too much. Be sure to keep the bottle cold between serving.

The other enjoyable way of serving sake celebrates sake’s role as part of the aesthetic experience of a Japanese meal. Like many aspects of traditional eating and drinking in Japan, sake consumption has its own particular aesthetic and set of specialized serving and drinking vessels.

These range in construction, size, and specific use, but generally are some variation on a pitcher and a small cup. From priceless, century-old handmade pottery to modern handblown glass and everything in between, sake cups and bowls are celebrated (and collected) as a core part of the Japanese experience of drinking sake, especially as part of a formal dining experience like the multi-course kaiseki meal. I’ve included an image on the right of a particularly nice cup that I had the honor of using at a meal in Tokyo last year.

On occasion (in restaurants mostly) sake can also be served in a square wooden box, with or without a glass sitting inside of it, overflowing with sake. If served in a box (usually for some celebratory reason) the box is simply treated like a cup that is most easily drunk from the corner. If the box contains a glass brimming with sake, that is best sipped without hands until the glass can safely be picked up and used without fear of spilling. Once the glass is empty, the overflow can be drunk from the box.

So Go Drink Some Sake!
Get out there and try some, already! Whole Foods carries some, as do several other gourmet supermarkets, or better yet, visit a wine store or sake store in your neighborhood. Worst case, order some on the Internet. Looking for suggestions on what sake to drink?

If there’s anything I didn′t cover that you still have questions about, let me know!

Original post by Alfonso Cevola

I absolutely love the fact that we’ve reached a point in this country where I don’t need to explain why a sake tasting in San Francisco might be an enjoyable way to spend an evening. In the five years since I′ve been writing this blog, sake has gone from obscure to obvious, hardly known to hip. The availability and visibility of sake in the US has blossomed, driving by fine dining establishments and the increasing popularity of all things Japanese.

Despite this, however, the average wine lovers’ knowledge of sake is extremely limited, mostly by virtue of not having tasted very much sake side-by-side in comparison with one another. And that of course, is where the Joy of Sake comes in. This tasting event, the largest public sake tasting outside of Japan, is much more than just an opportunity to compare a few sakes. Nowhere outside of Japan do consumers have the opportunity to sample so many different, and so many high quality sakes as they do at this event. For anyone truly interested in sake, this tasting cannot be missed.

Hundreds of different sakes are on offer, including the scores of gold and silver medal winners from the annual U.S. National Sake Appraisal, a competition held each year in Hawaii. Dozens of local restaurants serve up sake friendly food to accompany the brews, which are sampled by attendees using the traditional eyedroppers to fill their glasses.

The one difference between the Joy of Sake tasting and a normal wine tasting event has to do with the information that is available to the curious taster. While there are volunteers whose job it is primarily to make sure that the reservoir cups of sake don’t run dry, these folks have an extremely inconsistent knowledge of what they’re actually pouring. Unlike a large public wine tasting where the folks behind the table are informed about their particular wine, there is little or no information available about these sakes, should you fall in love with any of them, or have questions about what you are tasting.

Despite this lack of information, the event can be an incredible education to the attentive palate, and is always a great reminder to me of just how much great sake there is out there to be experienced.

Joy of Sake 2008
October 23 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
The Galleria Design Center
101 Henry Adams Street
San Francisco, CA 94105 (map)
1-888-799-7242

Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased in advance online. The price goes up to $85 at the door.

Sake tasting is even harder work than wine tasting, as sake is higher in alcohol, sometimes higher in acidity, and much more subtle in flavor. I recommend snacking your way through the tasting to keep your palate fresh. Also be advised that some vendors regularly run out of food, so eating early and often is also advised to get your money’s worth.

Original post by Alfonso Cevola

Japan has given many things to the world that I cherish, but few of them have an unofficial holiday that gives me the excuse to celebrate them. But every October first, along with sake lovers all over Japan and around the world, I get to observe Nihonshu no Hi, also known as Sake Day.

Like wine, no one knows exactly when sake first made an appearance. In a similar fashion to grape wine, the knowledge that fermented rice eventually yields an alcoholic beverage was probably discovered in accidental and then later deliberate stages, as innovative and curious folks explored ways of getting drunk.

Sake production and demand is likely to have peaked in Japan the mid 19th century when a law was passed allowing anyone to become a brewer. As many as 30,000 breweries were opened in the year of the law’s passing, though that number dwindled as taxes on sake and its raw materials increased through the end of the century.

Despite ups and downs, and not being anywhere near its 19th century production levels, sake is seeing a bit of a renaissance around the world, and that is worth celebrating for any sake lover, at least as much as the stuff itself. More and more excellent sake is leaving Japan and making its way abroad.

All of which means that on October first, you’ll not only have something to celebrate but, some really good stuff to celebrate with, should you care to partake in the 3rd Annual Sake day celebration put on by San Francisco’s own True Sake store, and Sozai restaurant.

This is not the largest of tastings, but public sake events are so rare, that I am obligated to make not of it for those of my readers who are sake lovers or who are interested in learning more about it.

Held at Fort Mason, Sake Day is an opportunity to taste an assortment of sake, eat some good Japanese food, and listen to a little music in a casual atmosphere. Various tasting stations will be set up that will allow attendees to compare different styles of sake, blind taste some varieties, as well as explore flaws like heat damage.

If you’re looking for a way to learn about sake, you’d be hard pressed to find a better occasion to experience a number of them than this little event.

Sake Day Celebration
Wednesday, October 1
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
The Golden Gate Room
Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA (map)

Tickets are $85, which gets you a complimentary tasting glass, five different sake friendly dishes, free run of the tasting, and entry into various raffles and prize drawings. Tickets should be purchased in advance online, as the event may sell out.

Original post by Alfonso Cevola

In the wine world, the grapes matter. Move past the varietal surface of wine consumption, and you’ll quickly descend into a world where the qualities of a given wine (say, Russian River Pinot Noir) are discussed in terms of how Dijon clone 667 grapes do on Riparia Gloire rootstock.

In the world of sake, a lot of things matter, from the water, to the yeast, to the Koji mold — and of course, the rice. To say that rice is to sake as grapes are to wine is not entirely accurate. For instance, the primary differences in how two different sakes taste is rarely attributable to the strain of rice used (holding all other variables in sake making constant, but changing the type of rice will result in a subtly different flavor profile — though this is rarely done). Those readers with more sake familiarity know that the majority of all sake, and almost the entirety of ginjo and daiginjo grade sake is made with just a single strain of rice known as Yamadanishiki.

So generally when discussing the differences between sakes, or even regional styles of sake, rice is not the first thing to enter the conversation. Having said that, there are some regional variations in the rice that brewers tend to use, and there are those breweries that go out of their way to make sake with specific varieties of rice in order to achieve specific flavor profiles.

If there is another rice strain that ever tends to cross the lips of even the more novice sake aficionados, it is the Omachi rice variety. Omachi is particularly interesting, not just because it is used by less than 30% of the breweries in Japan according to some sources, but because it is the oldest known “pure″ strain of rice in Japan. While all the other rice varieties for sake have been hybridized over the years, Omachi has been cultivated without hybridization since it was discovered in 1859 in the small village deep in Okayama Prefecture whose name it now bears.

For some reason, most likely the accident of natural selection, Omachi rice does not hybridize well. Many have tried and failed over the years, so Omachi remains a bit of a spinster in the world of rice — a strong personality with virtually no offspring (there are only three successful hybrids, and those took a lot of work). Nineteenth century Japanese farmers had no need to hybridize it, however, so it didn’t bother them a bit — indeed, at one point it was apparently one of the most popular varieties of table rice in the country.

But when mechanical harvesting replaced hand harvesting of rice, Omachi fell out of favor because its long, thick stalks and irregular clusters of grains made it difficult for the early harvesting machines.

Today it remains a bit of a novelty in the sake making world, though some select brewers have begun to take it quite seriously as a source for top grade sake.

One of those breweries is Minogawa Shuzo, based in Niigata prefecture. Founded in 1827 this brewery produces a number of artisan sakes, all made proudly with water from the underground currents of the Shinano River. Pulled from the brewery’s well at a depth of 295 feet below the surface of the earth, this water is unusually soft in character which leads, or so master brewer Masayuki Tanaka claims, to the particularly smooth quality of its sake.

Though some breweries use the Omachi rice for sake, very few use it to make a daiginjo class sake, so this particular sake is quite unusual and special for that fact alone. Per the standards for daiginjo class, a full 60% of the mass of each rice kernel has been polished away.

While Minogawa Shuzo produces a number of sakes, only a couple of their products are imported to the US. This sake comes in both 720ml and 180ml bottles, and the 180ml is particularly attractive with its light blue, hand blown glass

Tasting Notes:
Colorless in the glass this sake has a nose of pastry cream and the smell of good quality jasmine rice just as you lift the lid off the rice cooker. In the mouth it has excellent balance with a nice acidity, and very clean flavors of rainwater, floral essences, and a deeper, earthy and mineral quality which lingers powerfully into a remarkably long finish for a sake. Perhaps most strikingly this sake has a texture that makes me swoon, deeply silky and horribly sexy.

Food Pairing:
I recommend this sake with fish, noodle and egg dishes. It can stand up to sturdier and fattier foods quite well.

Overall Score: between 9.5 and 10

How Much?: $80 for 720ml, $18 for 180ml

This sake is available for purchase on the Internet.

Original post by Alfonso Cevola

Review By W. Blake Gray

Stop the presses — no, wait, this isn′t printed. OK, stop the Internet — I found an excellent nigori sake!

Nigori is the White Zinfandel of sake. It’s tremendously popular, particularly with people just discovering sake. It tends to be very sweet. And experts turn up their noses at it, usually with good reason.

Nigori sakes are white and cloudy because they contain bits of rice that didn′t complete fermentation. They have an interesting, chewy texture. What turns off sake aficionados, more than their sweetness, is their lack of complexity — you don′t get the fruity, floral flavors and aromas that are the hallmark of quality sakes. Nigori sake reminds me of amazake, a warm, sweet, nonalcoholic rice drink sold at winter festivals in Japan. Imagine saying that a wine reminds you of cocoa.

John Gauntner wrote in 2005 on his authoritative sake-world site, “I have not had a full glass of nigori-zake in at least umpteen years, maybe more.”

I’m generally in the ABN (anything but nigori) crowd myself. Just as with White Zin, I think nigori sakes are great for the industry because they introduce new drinkers who can move up later. But I don′t order White Zin off the wine list either, even the reserve list.

Here’s an example of the U.S. market affecting Japanese sake production: enough people here like nigori sakes, and are willing to spend money for them, that a few companies make upscale versions. (There’s a difference from white Zin the most expensive white Zin I could find online was $14.99.)

For Kamoizumi brewery in Hiroshima prefecture, making a premium nigori falls in line with company history.

The Maekake family who run Kamoizumi committed to unfiltered junmai production in 1971 when most of Japan insisted on charcoal filtering. Where most breweries saw impurities, Kamoizumi tasted complexities. But Kamoizumi junmais had a touch of color at a time when all sakes were expected to be clear. That decision had to be a lot more difficult than the decision to take Nigori upscale.

Kamoizumi “Summer Snow” Nigori Ginjo is good enough to seduce an ABN drinker. In fact, my bottle emptied with surprising alacrity.

Hiroshima is known for its soft water, a good base to start from. This sake is not chunky; instead it has a viscous mouthfeel. Yet it also rings with acidity and is not at all like the sweet, stewy nigoris that dominate the market.

Tasting Notes:
There’s a strong olive-oil note in aroma and flavor, something I don′t usually detect in sake. You also taste notes of white peach, cream (of course), lemon zest and clay. The medium-long finish never cloys. It’s only very slightly sweet; with an SMV of +1, it’s akin to a German halbtrocken Riesling. I have tasted many expensive non-white Zinfandels that have more residual sugar than this.

It’s the best nigori sake I′ve ever had. Is that damning with faint praise? No, but at the same time I′m not sure it’s convincing to the typical nigori drinker, since I′m openly ABN. Yet I really liked this sake; my bottle emptied rapidly. If nigori is the White Zinfandel of sake, this one’s the dry Pinot Noir-based rose.

Food Pairing:
Appropriately for an American-targeted product, this sake would work with American-style sushi, like spicy tuna roll, which overwhelms the delicate flavors of daiginjos, for example. The viscous mouthfeel makes it an interesting partner for rich-tasting fish, like salmon sashimi or steamed sablefish. I actually had it with slightly spicy Chinese food (salt and pepper squid, pea sprouts with garlic) and it was outstanding.

Overall Score: around 9

How much?: $28

By W. Blake Gray

“Spring Snow” is a pretty good nickname for a sake because it sounds not just delicate and natural, but outright freaky when you think about it. Snowing in springtime? You don’t see that often.

Same for its sake namesake — although in this case, blame not Mother Nature, but the US government.

Akitabare “Shunsetsu″ (”spring snow”) Nama Honjozo is highly unusual because it combines a class of sake we often see in the U.S. — nama — with one that we don’t, honjozo.

Honjozo sakes are basically the same quality as junmai sakes, because at least 30 percent of the outer part of the rice is polished away. They’re very popular in Japan. But because of US tax law on imported sake, they’re uncommon here.

“Junmai” means “pure rice”: nothing but rice, water and koji mold goes into a junmai sake.
For honjozos, brewer’s alcohol may be added during the process. Usually this is done to create a lighter, less intense, more subdued style. Think about the difference between Italian Pinot Grigio and Alsatian Pinot Gris. The honjozo is more like the Pinot Grigio — crisp, light-bodied, meant for food, at the sacrifice of some aromatic and flavor intensity. Yet there are plenty of mild dishes in Japanese cuisine that a richly flavored sake (or a full-bodied, super-aromatic Pinot Gris) would overpower.

Honjozo sakes are big in Japan partly because of their food friendliness, and partly because their easy quaffability makes it easy to drink quickly enough to get shitfaced. Japanese don’t drink halfway.

However, while honjozo sakes are generally the same price or cheaper than junmais in Japan, in the US they are significantly more expensive. The US government taxes them at a higher rate because alcohol is added, so they drop into the same category as fortified wines like Port.

That, and the fact that junmai has the better connotation in the US of being “pure,” has kept honjozo sakes from making any headway in this market.

This honjozo is an oddity because it’s also “nama,” which means unpasteurized. It doesn’t taste like any other sake I’ve had on these shores. More on that in a moment.

The brewery, based in Akita prefecture in chilly northern Honshu on the Japan Sea side, claims to be bound by tradition. The company’s junmai label proclaims “koshiki junzukuri” — the old way. And the brewery claims to have been using some of the same tools for the past century (In case you’re wondering, the US Air Force didn’t bother flying that far north.)
And yet, Akitabare’s sake lineup is pretty innovative. The daiginjo is bottle-aged for two years, which is almost heresy in an industry focused on freshness. And then there’s this sake, which — because it’s nama — is most definitely “drink now.”

Before that spring snow melts.

Tasting Notes:
The aroma is complex, with notes of cream, mustard powder, orange rind, oyster shell, melon and shrimp. But it doesn′t prepare you for what you′re about to taste. Neither does the mouthfeel, which is a big plus: it’s tight and creamy at the same time, with a taut center and a long taut finish.

What I taste from this is melon, and plenty of it — the characteristic of a nama, but definitely not a characteristic of most honjozos. I also taste notes of cream and oyster shell. It’s a little pungent and never fattens up. That’s a good thing — it’s very food-friendly.

Food Pairing:
I had it with Chinese delivery food — sliced fish sauteed with bok choy, spinach with garlic and vegetable chow mein — and it was excellent.

Overall Score: around 9

How Much?: $20

This wine is available for purchase on the Internet.

Original post by Arthur Krea

By W. Blake Gray

How much does the type of rice matter in sake? “Not much,” most experts say. But I disagree, and one of my favorite breweries, Dewazakura from Yamagata prefecture, has made it possible to taste for yourself.

Wine lovers may take it as a given that rice “varietals” matter. We all believe we can tell a Pinot Noir from a Cabernet Sauvignon without difficulty. So why wouldn’t we be able to taste the difference between Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku?

With sake, though, the brewing process has always been considered more important than the type of rice. The best example is the most expensive category. Daiginjos — for which at least 50 percent of the outer portion of the rice has been polished away — generally taste like other daiginjos, no matter where they’re from or what rice is used.

Polish a little less, though, and you start noticing regional variation. At the non-ginjo junmai level — for which at least 30 percent of the rice has been polished away — sakes start to exhibit regional characteristics. Niigata sakes tend to taste crisp and clean, for example, while Hiroshima sakes are soft and on the sweet side.

However, sake experts generally attribute regional differences to water. This makes sense. Few breweries own their own rice paddies, and many buy rice from distant prefectures. Water, however, is always local, and is the largest component of sake. (Incidentally, I have had Japanese brewing experts tell me the best sake water in the United States is in Arkansas, in case anybody there wants to start a brewery.)

Yet even while denying that rice matters much, breweries implicitly show that it matters a great deal. Yamada nishiki rice, originally from the Kobe area, is generally considered the best for sake. It has been planted in many other areas of Japan and is also purchased by breweries in many prefectures.

Personally I think everything matters in making premium sake, just as it does with wine. I can’t claim to be enough of an expert to detect the difference made by different strains of yeast, but winemakers and sake brewers can, and I believe them. So why do so many sake experts spend so much time claiming rice is immaterial?

At this point I should acknowledge that the owner of this blog, proud new poppa Alder Yarrow, is in the rice-doesn’t-matter camp. I told him I think I have an affinity for sakes made from gohyakumangoku rice, and he told me I couldn’t possibly know that for sure. So I have hijacked his blog for 24 hours to deliver this dissenting opinion. Alder, I think your daughter needs you …

Anyway, back to Dewazakura. These guys are technological innovators who also happen to make some great sake. Their “Dewasansan” brew, named after the strain of rice specifically developed for their prefectural climate conditions, is one of my go-to choices in restaurants around town because it’s both delicious and widely available.

However, the Dewasansan brew is not a pure test of the taste qualities of the rice itself. One important factor is that Dewasansan uses a different yeast than the company’s other main premium brew, nicknamed “Oka.” Its alcohol percentage is a little higher than Oka’s, and it’s not quite as dry.

Enter the beverage geek’s sake: Dewazakura Oka Yamadanishiki. This small-production version of the Oka sake has the same yeast and fermentation regimen as the everyday Oka the only major difference is the rice.

I opened them side-by-side to see if I could taste the difference. They have similarities, the result of a master brewer’s attempt to create a consistent style from year to year. Both are creamy with notes of peach.

But to me they are more different than alike. The Yamadanishiki version is stronger on the nose, with more pronounced peach notes and a funky clay-earth like note that I like. The regular version, made from Miyamanishiki rice, smells more straightforwardly creamy, with a chalky note.

On the palate, it’s the same: the Yamadanishiki version is fruitier, fuller and has a longer finish. But that’s not to say some people won’t prefer the regular version, which has a smoother mouthfeel and an appealing white chocolate note.

The great thing about Dewazakura’s two versions of “Oka” is that you don’t have to listen to some wine writer talk about how he tasted tank samples and he really grasped the difference the rice strain makes. These are commercial products available for sale, and neither is particularly expensive. You can just go out and buy a bottle of each and prove to yourself that the strain of rice matters.

Dewazakura “Oka,” Yamagata Prefecture. $25 Where to buy?
Dewazakura “Oka Yamadanishiki,” Yamagata Prefecture. $25 Where to buy?

I now return you to this blog’s regular programming.

After drinking sake made from it, W. Blake Gray enjoys trying to say “gohyakumangoku” 10 times fast. He lives in San Francisco.

Original post by Alfonso Cevola

We all understand the power of brands. There was likely a time for most Americans alive to day when we used “Reynolds Wrap″ when we meant aluminum foil. Some of us still say Kleenex instead of tissue and Xerox instead of photocopy. When one company pioneers a product that becomes so ubiquitous and common, it’s likely that the name will stick, even when we′re no longer using the original product.

There was a time in Japan’s history when sake was more easily referred to as Oyamazake, for exactly the same reasons. In 1882, the Shogun commanded that a sake brewing operation be established to feed the growing thirst for rice wine at the court, and like most of the time when the Shogun asked for something, he got what he wanted.

At it’s height, the brewing operation that sprang in the town of Oyama occupied almost fifty separate breweries arranged side-by-side on the Shonai plain in northwestern Japan. The amount of sake produced at the height of production is unknown, but it must have been truly staggering.

Today, several sake breweries call he town of Oyama home, but only one brewery can trace its history back to that massive brewing operation begun more than a century ago. Named Ohyama, or “big mountain,” this modest brewery continues to carry on the traditions of sake brewing much as they were established before the turn of the century.

Ohyama makes several sakes, but perhaps one of their best is this very special nigori, or “unfiltered,” sake. Unfiltered in the world of sake means much the same as it does in the world of wine. The process of making sake eventually yields a big soup of mushy fermented rice and alcohol in the same way that the end of fermentation for grapes results in a big tank of grape skins, wine, seeds, etc.

In order to get sake out of the mash, the sake must be pressed off of its lees (the solid bits of rice and yeast that are left). This usually involves putting sake into canvas bags and then squeezing those bags in a pneumatic press so that the sake squirts out and the rice and such is left behind. The resulting sake is a milky, cloudy color as it still contains a lot of rice starch and yeast in suspension.

At this point the sake is usually cold filtered through charcoal or other mediums to clarify the sake, but occasionally, brewers will simply stop here, and this cloudy, sediment filled sake is known as nigori. The rice starch gives the sake a milkier, slightly sweeter flavor which makes nigori a nice aperitif, as well as a good match for stronger flavored foods.

Interestingly, if you were to travel back in time, say, to 1882, when Ohyama was busy making sake for the Shogun, all the sake would have been unfiltered because they hadn’t invented the filters yet. Clear sake is quite a modern phenomenon.

Unfortunately while nigori sake is also an increasingly popular phenomenon, much of it is extremely low in quality. In some sake drinking circles, nigori sake is the equivalent of white zinfandel, an entry level brew that is easy to drink and doesn’t take much to appreciate. As a result most nigori sakes are made from relatively low quality rice, are often fortified with alcohol, and in some cases, are just downright nasty tasting.

Increasingly however, there are some breweries that are making extremely high quality nigori sake, and Ohyama happens to be one of them. This sake is a “tokubetsu” junmai nigori, which means “very special” junmai nigori. The Haenuki rice has been milled to less than 60% of its former mass (enough to qualify for ginjo status), and no additional alcohol has been added in the brewing process. These two facts, coupled with the extra care taken in its production have made for one of the finest, most delicate nigori sakes available on the market today.

Tasting Notes:
This sake looks like watery, fat free milk in the glass, and it smells very pretty, with aromas of rainwater, flowers, and faint hints of bubble gum. In the mouth it is smooth and creamy, with flavors of…well…cream, wet cedar wood, apple, floral notes, and a beautiful stony quality that lasts through a surprisingly long finish. This is one of the most refined, elegant nigori sakes I have ever had.

Food Pairing:
Even though it is refined in quality, this sake has the robustness of the nigori style, which means it is not so easily overwhelmed by stronger flavors (like many delicate sakes are). I’d happily serve this sake with any non-spicy south or east Asian food. It would go beautifully with a mild Vietnamese curry, for instance.

Overall Score: 9/9.5

How Much?: $15

This sake is available for purchase on the Internet.

Original post by Alfonso Cevola

One of the fascinating and attractive things about sake breweries are their (usually) much longer and storied histories than the wineries of the western world. While there are a few wineries that have been in existence for a few hundred years, there are many more sake breweries that have been doing their thing for many hundreds, some continuously operated by a single family.

Kamotsuru Shuzo may not be one of the oldest breweries in Japan, as it can only trace its history back to 1623, and really only began production under the Kamotsuru name in 1873, but it is one of the most respected. Kamotsuru Shuzo is responsible for pioneering a wide range of firsts in the sake industry, including being the first brewery to export its sake to the US (in 1896, no less); the co-inventor of the modern rice polishing machine in 1898; and the first to produce a daiginjo sake in Japan, among other things.

The company’s name, like so many in Japanese, benefits from a clever double meaning. Kamo is both a reference to a chain of mountains from which the brewery gets its water, and Kamo(su) is also the verb to make sake. The second half of the company’s name, Tsuru, means “crane,” a noble and very auspicious bird for the Japanese culture.

When it comes to kamosu, Kamotsuru represents an odd dichotomy between technological innovation and strict tradition. In many ways Kamotsuru can be considered one of the most pioneering sake breweries in Japan. They claim many firsts in the world of sake including being one of the first Japanese breweries to export sake to the United States in the year 1896. Don’t ask me who might have been drinking sake in the U.S. at that time. Perhaps more notably, Kamotsuru brewery can claim to be the co-inventor of the modern rice polishing mill in 1898, along with another company. In 1905 were among the first breweries in Japan to produce ginjo class sakes, whose rice had been polished to at least 60% of its former mass, and in 1958 they claim to be the first brewery to produce a daiginjo class sake (made from rice polished to less than 50% of its former mass).

Today, despite such a history of innovation, a visitor to Kamotsuru might be struck by the seemingly traditional approach taken towards sake brewing. Kamotsuru still makes use of wood where many have switched to stainless steel, and continues many of the labor intensive manual processes of sake making that have been automated by other breweries. And, of course, the brewery insists on producing incredibly high quality sake, of which this sake, named “Sokaku” is their second most premium product, and the highest quality sake that they export to the United States.

Sokaku is a junmai daiginjo sake. This means that no additional alcohol is added during the brewing process and that the rice has been polished past the 50% point. As a mark of its premium quality, the rice used to make Sokaku has been polished to 38% of its former mass, a delicate and expensive feat, and one that the brewery feels makes for a more refined and delicate brew. It is made in the dead of winter in Hiroshima prefecture as the snow blows in cold from the sea of Japan.

While it’s easy to buy sake by the label (many of them are quite attractive, and when you don’t have any idea what they’re saying — I don’t — it can be an interesting aesthetic gamble) it’s generally best to know what you’re getting yourself into. However, it is worth noting that this sake rates pretty high up on the aesthetic scale. Anyone who could receive this individually gold boxed, hand tied, handmade-paper-labeled bottle and not be impressed probably isn’t worth having as a friend anyway.

Tasting Notes:
Colorless in the glass, this sake has a nose of white flowers, dried orange rind, tropical fruits, and wet stones. In the mouth it is ever-so-smooth, with clear stony, rainwater and floral qualities wrapped in a slightly creamy, melted vanilla ice cream jacket with hints of wet cedar on the finish. The sake conveys a purity that marks the best daiginjo sakes along with a silky weight on the tongue that entices sipping again and again. World class.

Food Pairing:
This sake seems like it would do beautifully with butter poached fish of any kind, but especially…butter fish! A nice filet, a splash of lemon and a glass of Sokaku could make any evening spectacular.

Overall Score: around 9.5

How Much?: $80

This sake is available for purchase on the Internet.

Original post by Alfonso Cevola

One of the fascinating and attractive things about sake breweries are their (usually) much longer and storied histories than the wineries of the western world. While there are a few wineries that have been in existence for a few hundred years, there are many more sake breweries that have been doing their thing for many hundreds, some continuously operated by a single family.

Kamotsuru Shuzo may not be one of the oldest breweries in Japan, as it can only trace its history back to 1623, and really only began production under the Kamotsuru name in 1873, but it is one of the most respected.

The company’s name, like so many in Japanese, benefits from a clever double meaning. Kamo is both a reference to a chain of mountains from which the brewery gets its water, and Kamo(su) is also the verb to make sake. The second half of the company’s name, Tsuru, means “crane,” a noble and very auspicious bird for the Japanese culture.

When it comes to kamosu, Kamotsuru represents an odd dichotomy between technological innovation and strict tradition. In many ways Kamotsuru can be considered one of the most pioneering sake breweries in Japan. They claim many firsts in the world of sake including being one of the first Japanese breweries to export sake to the United States in the year 1896. Don’t ask me who might have been drinking sake in the U.S. at that time. Perhaps more notably, Kamotsuru brewery can claim to be the co-inventor of the modern rice polishing mill in 1898, along with another company. In 1905 were among the first breweries in Japan to produce ginjo class sakes, whose rice had been polished to at least 60% of its former mass, and in 1958 they claim to be the first brewery to produce a daiginjo class sake (made from rice polished to less than 50% of its former mass).

Today, despite such a history of innovation, a visitor to Kamotsuru might be struck by the seemingly traditional approach taken towards sake brewing. Kamotsuru still makes use of wood where many have switched to stainless steel, and continues many of the labor intensive manual processes of sake making that have been automated by other breweries. And, of course, the brewery insists on producing incredibly high quality sake, of which this sake, named “Sokaku” is their second most premium product, and the highest quality sake that they export to the United States.

Sokaku is a daiginjo sake. This means that the rice has been polished past the 50% point. In fact, as a mark of its premium quality, the rice used to make Sokaku has been polished to 38% of its former mass, a delicate and expensive feat, and one that the brewery feels makes for a more refined and delicate brew. It is made in the dead of winter in Hiroshima prefecture as the snow blows in cold from the sea of Japan.

While it’s easy to buy sake by the label (many of them are quite attractive, and when you don’t have any idea what they′re saying — I don’t — it can be an interesting aesthetic gamble) it’s generally best to know what you’re getting yourself into. However, it is worth noting that this sake rates pretty high up on the aesthetic scale. Anyone who could receive this individually gold boxed, hand tied, handmade-paper-labeled bottle and not be impressed probably isn’t worth having as a friend anyway.

Tasting Notes:
Colorless in the glass, this sake has a nose of white flowers, dried orange rind, tropical fruits, and wet stones. In the mouth it is ever-so-smooth, with clear stony, rainwater and floral qualities wrapped in a slightly creamy, melted vanilla ice cream jacket with hints of wet cedar on the finish. The sake conveys a purity that marks the best daiginjo sakes along with a silky weight on the tongue that entices sipping again and again. World class.

Food Pairing:
This sake seems like it would do beautifully with butter poached fish of any kind, but especially…butter fish! A nice filet, a splash of lemon and a glass of Sokaku could make any evening spectacular.

Overall Score: around 9.5

How Much?: $80

This sake is available for purchase on the Internet.

Original post by Alfonso Cevola