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Any sake experts in the house?


Caveman_Nick
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I thought I wrote a sake primer a bit ago on this board but couldn't find it. Mind you, my mastery of the search function here leaves plenty to be desired.

 

At any rate, first the basics:

 

There are two primary differences between good and bad sake. The first being the fact that bad sake is cut with up to 50% watered down grain alcohol. Back in WWII, there was a rice shortage so the Japanese government allowed them to do this. After the war, the big companies urged them to keep that rule in tact 'cause they were obviously making a ton more money. Keep in mind, there is a version of premium sake that fortifies with spirits (called honjozo) but that is a stylistic preference not unlike making port. Think tequilla. The good stuff is all agave, the bad stuff is cut with low grade alcohol.

 

Secondly is the rice itself and how it is treated. Rice used for sake cost as much as 100x more than table rice (which is what cheap sake is made from). If you look at this rice in the light, you notice that the outer part is opaque and the inner part is chalky. That inner part contains all the complex starches and the outpart the simple sugars. In the production of premium sake, they polish off up to 60% of the grains to get to just the inner stuff. The degree to which they polish it designates a specific quality level. I forget the exact levels at which these quality levels kick in but they start around 40% and go to 60%

 

They are as follows:

Junmai (around 40% removed)

Ginjo and Daiginjo is the next most refined

Junmai Ginjo and Junmai Daiginjo is the highest grade.

 

Another style that bears mention is Nigori. That's the unfiltered stuff. Some people really dig it but I'm not always down with the texture.

 

Now, there are those who actually prefer the taste of sakes technically graded lower because they're not as refined and have more going on.

 

We sell sake from two importers. VineConnections (they run esake.com) and Niigata sake.

 

Allegedly, Niigata is the cleanest place on earth. Take that FWIW.

 

The thing I really dig about sake is that, to begin with, considering the fanatical procedures used to create it and the exclusivity of it, it's a pretty good deal. I often remind people that if all of our wines were as handcrafted as our sakes, they'd all cost $100 or more a bottle. Secondly, it goes great with a lot of different foods. In many ways, it's more versatile than wine that way. It just so happens we're hosting a sake dinner tonight.

 

Here it is...

 

Trio of amuses

-Blistered pepper

-Cucumber jello salad “extreme”

-Sweet rice fritter with carrot-ginger coulis

 

Karen Coy Junmai

 

Seared scallops with persimmon “tartare”

 

Koshimo Omachi Dai-Ginjo

 

Pan-roasted sea bass with edamame-goat cheese won tons

and tarragon cream

 

Snow Shadow Junmai

 

Green curry of pork with pineapple and winter squash

 

Daku Junmai Nigori

 

Seared foie gras with five-spice French toast

and smoky plum syrup

 

Hakuryu Junmai Ume-shu (plum flavored)

 

Hope that helps. If you are looking for a few specifics, I'd be happy to point some out.

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Hope that helps. If you are looking for a few specifics, I'd be happy to point some out.

 

 

Thanks Detlef.

 

I actually did know much of that information regarding the different grades, etc., but this is great info for people that don't know. Just FYI for those looking to try sake...hot sake is bad sake. It's not that you can't heat good sake, because you can. Heating the sake affects the flavor, and in the case of the brands that add grain alcohol as Detlef mentioned these are thy types of sake that tend to get heated. It helps to mask the bad taste.

 

Another note for those that want to try to find some decent bottles of sake is that you are much less likely to get a hangover from sake than you are from drinking other types of booze. This has something to do with the manufacturing process, and I am not well versed enough to articulate it.

 

From another website:

 

Premium sake, even when one may overindulge, is nearly hangover free. Why? Congeners, thought to cause hangovers, are generated from the impurities in an alcoholic beverage. the main source of congenres in sake are the proteins and fatty acids in the outside portion of the rice kernal. Since premium sake uses rice milled down to less than 70% of the original kernal size, most of these impurities are eliminated. As they say in Japan: You know good sake the next morning.

 

My problem is more in finding bottles of the right ilk, and of course that will vary based on what local distributors carry, etc. I will add some of what you listed to my "approved" list.

 

I found a website from an Oregon based company that is manufacturing sake in the US, and they have a local distributor. Sakeone.com is the site. I will be looking for this stuff.

 

Any bottles you have tried that you can recommend is terrific.

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Divine Droplets- Dude builds an igloo in Northern Japan and cold filters the stuff in huge sock-like devices over the course of the entire winter. Because it is partially frozen, it filters drop by drop from the socks. Hence the name. Really, really nice stuff (Vine Connections)

 

Karen Coy- This is good intro sake. Nice sweet fruit, clean finish. Not remarkable but very nice and at a good price. (Niigata)

 

Southern Beauty- I think this is a great value. It's nearly as good as sakes that cost considerably more and much better than those that cost a bit less. Pretty sturdy stuff that will go well with a bunch of different foods. (Vine Connections)

 

Root of Innocence- I actually paired this with grilled venison and it was amazing. Not my favorite by itself, however. (Vine Connections)

 

Daku Nigori- While I don't like unflitered as much as most, I really dig this one. Super thick with tons of coconut flavors. Great with curries (Niigata)

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On another somewhat odd/disturbing note...

 

Disclaimer: This is simply an observation.

 

As a percentage, it is rather uncanny how often I see ghey male couples at my restaurant sharing a bottle of unfiltered sake relative to the rest of my customers. Those of you who have ever seen unfiltered sake will understand the peculiar nature of this observation.

Edited by detlef
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On another somewhat odd/disturbing note...

 

Disclaimer: This is simply an observation.

 

As a percentage, it is rather uncanny how often I see ghey male couples at my restaurant sharing a bottle of unfiltered sake relative to the rest of my customers. Those of you who have ever seen unfiltered sake will understand the peculiar nature of this observation.

 

 

:D

 

Thanks....I just bought a bottle yesterday and stuck it in the fridge...now I'll have to pour it out :D

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On another somewhat odd/disturbing note...

 

Disclaimer: This is simply an observation.

 

As a percentage, it is rather uncanny how often I see ghey male couples at my restaurant sharing a bottle of unfiltered sake relative to the rest of my customers. Those of you who have ever seen unfiltered sake will understand the peculiar nature of this observation.

 

 

a bit milky fo sure............. :D

 

I like all kinds, but I love a good unfiltered nigori, especially on ice- good chit

 

I took a tour of the Takara plant in Berkeley- pretty cool tour and cheaper than you will find in stores.

 

Awesome info above- I love sake, but alot to learn.

 

one cool thing- it give you a nice, crisp buzz and leaves me with way less of a hangover than wine.........

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