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A Lifetime of Sake

June 04, 2009 02:08 PM ET | Sue Guerra | Permanent Link

Sake is produced throughout Japan, from the Northern most island of Hokkaido to Okinawa. With thousands of breweries—each offering several different varieties of sake—one could spend a lifetime getting to know this intriguing beverage.

John Gauntner is well on his way to doing just that. A long-time expat, John worked in Japan as an electrical engineer before being lured into the sake world. Now he lectures, writes, and teaches about sake throughout the U.S. and Japan. For the most in-depth information on all things sake visit his website at www.sake-world.com.

Following is information from the seminar I attended and from John’s website about how the various types of premium sake are defined. Within these categories sake can also be distinguished by brewing method, for example namazake (unpasteurized) and nigorizake (unfiltered or cloudy).

Some sake will have a small amount of specially distilled alcohol added in the final stages of brewing in order to enhance the aromatic and flavor compounds of the final product.

Premium grades of sake are categorized by the degree to which the outer, fat and protein-containing portion of the rice is milled away. The more it is milled—to get to the starchy center of the grain—the higher the quality grade.

Junmai: Made with rice that has been milled so that at least 30 percent of the outer portion of the grain has been removed. It is called pure sake because there is no distilled alcohol added.

Honjozo: Made with rice that has been milled so that at least 30 percent of the outer portion of the grain has been removed and to which a small amount of distilled alcohol has been added as part of the brewing process.

Ginjo: Made with rice that has been milled so that at least 40 percent of the outer portion of the grain has been removed. Some Ginjo may have a small amount of distilled alcohol added. If there is no added alcohol the sake will be categorized as Junmai Ginjo.

Daiginjo: A subcategory of Ginjo where the rice has been milled down to at least 50 percent. This sake may also have distilled alcohol added. If it does not, it will be called Junmai Daiginjo.

Next week I’ll have tasting notes from a range of prefectures and breweries.

Tags: wine | sake | Japan

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Comments
sake

I started to get into sake about six months ago. While I continue to enjoy wine, the range of fruity and floral flavors that can be teased out of rice is even more amazing than the similarly wide range that can be brought forth from grapes, which are fruit to begin with.

Just from looking at the labels of the sakes I’ve tried, I’ve gotten a dazed appreciation of the number of different types of rice that sake is made from--at least as many and probably more than the number of grape varietals from which wine is made.

Looking forward to your tasting notes next week.

Posted by: Eric Levin, None | Jun 10, 2009 12:57:00 PM |

Sake Flavors and Aromas

I too have a “dazed” appreciation for sake, which I am sure is at least as diverse and complex as wine. Here are some other facts that I learned at the seminar.

There are about 100 types of rice used in sake brewing today with 80 of them being officially registered as sake rice. Almost all sake rice is the result of crossbreeding different varieties to create better rice and to adapt the rice to the local land and climate. As a comparison, there are thousands of grape varieties, some of which are the result of crossbreeding.

While rice is responsible for some of the flavors in sake, it is the use of specially cultivated yeast strains that give rise to the various aromas. Some strains permit fermentation at very low temperatures, producing a wide array of esters and fruity aromas. The same principle is used in the making of highly aromatic white wines, which are fermented at low temperatures in order to preserve their delicate fruit aromas.

Posted by: Sue Guerra, None | Jun 11, 2009 15:54:05 PM |