Here in America about the only time that we try sake is when we visit a sushi bar. I'll admit, I, too, was one of the guilty. Rarely did I ever go and purchase a bottle of sake to serve at home and when I did, the bottle, typically, was very inexpensive and completely unremarkable. But that has all changed thanks to Kiyo Kojima and SakeStory (www.sakestory.com). Through him, I was introduced to a drink with subtlety and beauty, and with a complexity that approaches my beloved wine.
Sake is an ancient beverage based on the fermentation of rice. There is evidence that the Chinese were producing something similar to sake as long ago as 4000 BCE, but it was the Japanese who began mass production of the beverage over 2000 years ago when wet rice cultivation was introduced to that country.
Americans often refer to sake as rice wine, but in reality rice beer might be a more apt name. In vinification, yeast consumes the sugar in grape juice to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. But rice is a much tougher nut to crack than a grape. Yeast is unable to get at the sugars in the rice kernel without some help. In ancient time, entire villages would gather and chew rice and nuts then the spit the mixture into a communal tub. Enzymes in saliva would break down the starches in the rice and allow the yeast to do their work. The resulting beverage was called kuchikami no sake, or chewing the mouth sake. As delicious as as that sounds, I am glad to report that this practice was discontinued once it was learned that koji, a mold enzyme, could perform the same task as spittle. This multiple fermentation process, once with the mold and once with yeast, produces flavors and aromas in the sake that are both familiar and exotic.
Today, sake quality is controlled by the government. On the lower end, sake can have alcohol added which will increase the yield, but decrease the subtlety. Premium sake (which features "junmai" in the name) is made with only rice and is delicate and lovely as a flower. At a recent tasting conducted by SakeStory we sampled the three following sakes:
1. Junmai Ginjo "Flowers Petals" from the Hanatomoe Brewery, Nara, Japan. This was the most delicate and lovely sake that I have ever tasted, and the name flower petals, describes it perfectly. It was beautifully balanced and harmonious. Kiyo told us that this sake might not have the weight to pair with heavy food, but by itself as a "sipper" it was exquisite.
2. Tokubetsu Junmai "Fragrant Water" from the Housui Brewery, Tokushima, Japan. This sake was a little heavier, with the sense of alcohol more up front. It didn't have the delicacy of the first, but its edgier quality would be a great match with sushi. If I had never tried the first sake mentioned above, this would have been the best I had ever tasted. It was that good.
3. Junmai Sake "Six Circles" from the Nakagawa Brewery, Tottori, Japan. Six Circles was heavier still. It was perfect with the duck that was served that evening. I don't want to imply that this sake was not balanced, but if you can imagine number two with the volume turned up you can get a sense of how this one tasted. It was just bigger. Also very delicious.
I want to thank SakeStory and especially Kiyo Kojima for introducing me to the wonderful world of sake. I hope that all of you out there will host a sake tasting and discover some of the wonderful secrets that this beverage holds. SakeStory is the sole importer of these particular sakes, so please contact them for more information (kanpai@sakestory.com) and check out their beautiful website for more information.
