Sake barrels adorn the walls of the Japan Sake Shochu Information Center — Photo courtesy of Ashley M. Biggers
Sake is Japan’s signature beverage, just as wine is in France. However, for many, sake is a throat-burning sushi accompaniment that’s ordered as thoughtlessly as a house red or white. Few consider the brand, variety or temperature.
However – just like French wine – sake can be incredibly refined and nuanced, with varieties to suit any palate or pair with any dish, says Tokyo sake sommelier Satoko Utsugi.
Utsugi leads tasting lessons that begin at the Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center, in the Shinbashi area, and venture to Orihara Shoten, a neighborhood stand-up bar to sip alongside locals. Her first lesson? Don’t call it sake.
In Japanese, sake refers to any alcoholic beverage, from wine to beer. Ordering nihon-shu (“Japanese liquor”) in Japan will get you the rice wine that most refer to as sake.
The history of sake
Koji mold transformed sake fermentation and is integral to the process today — Photo courtesy of Ashley M. Biggers
Nihon-shu is closely tied to Japanese history, religion and cuisine. But today’s fermentation methods are quite different from its origins. The earliest production began around 2,000 years ago.
Farmers would gather to chew steamed rice, then spit it into a communal pot, which would be stored to ferment. Their saliva enzymes would introduce the elements needed to cause fermentation.
This method was abandoned after discovering koji, a mold enzyme still used today, that is added to the rice to begin fermentation.
Although nihon-shu is in the same category of fermented liquor as wine and beer, it uses a different process. It’s made though a multiple parallel fermentation where koji mold and yeast are introduced simultaneously to create alcohol. It’s also worth nothing that the rice used for sake isn’t the same as table rice.
Although the government initially tightly controlled sake production, temples and shrines began making the alcohol for ceremonies in the Heian period (8th to 12th century). Beginning in the Meiji era (1968 to 1912), anyone was allowed to brew their own sake.
Today, there are 1,500 breweries nationwide. Each creates its own unique flavors based on the water used, the level of polishing on its rice, the mold and yeast selected or introduced and the fermentation process itself. Some brewers believe the process is so precise, a bad brew and a good one might be determined within a few seconds during the rice soaking process.
Sipping tips
While sakes may look the same, they can taste very different — Photo courtesy of Ashley M. Biggers
Nihon-shu brewers polish the rice before brewing – essentially milling off the husk or outer portion of the kernel. The rice polishing ratio is the amount of kernel that remains. In general, the more polishing, the higher quality of liquor. Sakes with lower ratios (30 percent rice polishing, for example) are tops.
The Japanese government designates several types of sake, including ginjo-shu, which is fermented at a lower temperature for longer to create a fruity or flowery aroma and delicate flavor. The government also defines several varieties of sake, including undiluted, which has higher alcohol content; aged, which can have caramel flavors; and cloudy, which is roughly filtered.
Sake can be enjoyed at temperatures ranging from 5 to 55 degrees C. As with many Japanese phrases, the temperature level names have a bit of poetry to them. Five degrees is considered a snow-chilled temperature, while 10 degrees is considered to be the temperature when the cherry trees bloom.
Although many drinkers treat temperature as a matter of personal preference, sommelier Utsugi says temperature is best chosen based on the type of sake. Aromatic sakes are better served cold, while rich ones are best served at room temperature to enhance their umami.
The richness of an aged sake can be enhanced by warming it. “Warming sake won’t mask the cheap stuff. It highlights the profile of a good sake,” she says.
In a country known for the precision and ritual of its tea ceremonies, it comes as no surprise that serving vessels can also affect the sipping experience. Utsugi recommends pottery ware for warm sake and glassware for room temperature sake. Wider-lipped vessels should accompany subtle sakes, while narrower ones concentrate the nose of aromatic ones.
Sakes can be seasonal, too. Shinshu, the season’s newest sakes, are available November to April. Hiyaoroshi and Akiagari are made around March, then aged for six months to introduce a more complex aroma and flavor. These are generally available in September.
Utsugi says sakes can be enjoyed with any type of meal. Because nihon-shu breweries created flavors to pair with their regional dishes, she advises letting the sake’s place of origin dictate the pairing.
Sakes from oceanside prefectures go well with seafood, while those from mountainous prefectures go well with heartier meals. The brewery’s location can have a huge effect on taste.
“Eighty percent of the final product is water, so it’s one of the largest factors in taste,” Utsugi says.
Sake trends
Neighborhood stand-up bars like Orihara Shoten are good places to taste sake varieties relatively inexpensively — Photo courtesy of Ashley M. Biggers
More women are coming onto the sake scene. Although women played a large part in sake brewing historically as Shinto shrine attendants, in the past two centuries, brewing has been male dominated.
Today, women oversee fewer than 50 of the country’s 1,500 sake breweries. Female brewers lead the process at Mioya Brewery, Imada Shuzo and Michiko, to name a few labels.
Brewers are also going back to traditional methods by using wild yeasts. For example, Sohomare Sake Brewery Co., which has been operating from the Tochigi prefecture since 1872, is introducing wild lactic acids into its nihon-shu.
Sparkling sake is another trend, particularly around the holidays. Mizubasho, a sake brewery founded in 1886 in the mountainous Gunma prefecture, brews a nice one, Utsugi says.