Sake

"Kanpai", that's Japanese for cheers!

Japanese food has been one of my favourite cuisines. I enjoy drinking sake very much. Especially when it's served warm, accompanying with my favourite Uni...

YUMMY!!

History of Sake

Sake, Japan's famous rice wine, is as steeped in history as Sumo or the Samurai. Dating back to the 3rd century, the first sake was called kuchikami no sake, or "chewing-in-the-mouth sake." Happily sake today isn't made this way but back then, rice, chestnuts and millet would be chewed by the whole village and then spat out into a tub to ferment. It was an important part of Shinto religious festivals who've protected the fields are offered sake after the harvest, and wedding celebrations and New Year's festivals aren't complete without sake on hand to bestow a benediction.

Today's sake has changed much from early times. It was centuries before they discovered yeast, which greatly increased its alcohol content. The second World War also altered the recipe. Rice shortages forced brewers to develop new ways to increase their yields. By government decree, pure alcohol and glucose were added to small quantities of rice mash, increasing the yield by as much as four times. 95% of today's sake is made using this technique, left over from the war years, though connoisseurs say that the best sake is still made with just rice, koji rice and water only.

Production of Sake

You can't produce a classic vintage wine without first class grapes, any wine connoisseur will tell you that. You will hear the same protestation from Japanese sake connoiusseurs except the magic ingredient is … rice… polished to perfection, for in making sake the preparation of the rice is just as important as the quality of the rice itself. The best sakes in Japan are made with large grains containing a rich white kernel. The grains are polished to remove up to 55% of their covering, before they're washed, soaked, steamed and cooled. Fermentation starts when koji rice is added, which turns the rice starch into sugar, and the yeast transforms the sugar into alcohol. After 20 to 25 days fermentation, the mash is filtered to produce fresh sake. Another important ingredient in the process is water. Sake breweries in Japan are located near some of the best spring water in the world. Pure water leads to a sake full of consistent rich flavor. After fermentation the cocktail of ingredients still has to be filtered, skimmed and pasteurized before it's stored, for best results up to a full year. Then it's bottled and shipped to the bars ready for thirsty drinkers. Of course this is a description of the best sake on the market, made without adding extra alcohol. Just 6% of sake is made this way but one such brand is Tamanohikari. The brewers from this well known company claims "No hangover after drinking this sake". The reason? They remove 55% of the original rice covering containing the fatty acid that leads to hangovers. On the other hand, it tastes delicious so after a couple of bottles, I'm not sure how my head will feel!

In Japan's highly structured and conformist society, sake provides an opportunity to relax. Sake is as steeped in history as Sumo or the Samurai. Your visit won't be complete without stopping by at an "izakaya" (local sake bar) to try the best sake in the world.

How to Choose a Good Sake

Choosing a good sake takes a little know-how and a lot of tasting! First, it helps to be able to read the labels and sake labels exemplify the Japanese mastery of design for small spaces. They are literally miniature works of art containing information on the sake's age, the brewery, its alcohol content and sometimes its sweetness/dryness.  All sakes imported into the U.S. are, in order to take advantage of a lower tax rate, jummaishu, pure rice sakes with no added sugar or alcohol but do be careful about checking the production date. Be sure not to buy anything over a year old. Sakes aren't like vintage wines that can age for decades. In fact, preferably, sake should be drunk within 7 to 8 months. So where to start? A sake newly available in the U.S. is Tamanohikari, although the brewery itself was founded in 1673. A sweet sake from the Fushimi district that's drunk cold, Tamanohikari is made with very high quality rice that's polished down to 45% of its original size. This is said to prevent hangovers (by removing much of the fatty acid that causes hangovers) but it also produces a very clean, crisp taste much to be recommended. If you like your sake cold, Tamanohikari is a good place to start. But hey, Rome wasn't built in a day… now you have a little know-how, it's time to go out and do the tasting!

Sake Tasting for Beginners

If you thought sake was only served warm in expensive Japanese restaurants, then think again. There's a lot more to it than that. Yes, sake is often served warm but everyone beware! (Though I personally like to drink really hot...) Warm does not mean hot, but the temperature of the human body.  In fact,  drinking sake cold is becoming increasingly popular, and you would be advised to learn from the official sake tasters in Japan who taste sake at room temperature. Sake tasting in Japan is just as complex and ritualistic as the most snobbish of French wine-tasting gatherings (no offence to the French ok?). In many ways, the practice is similar. First the appearance is viewed in the special "snakes-eye" cups, when tasters check for colorlessness and perfect clarity, highly prized qualities. Next they check the smell for which ninety different words can be used to describe the aroma. (Oh wow...Les Roches crew should remember our "Wine Knowledge" final exam huh?) Finally, and most importantly, the ultimate test of taste is taken. Like wine, the sake is slurped to allow air in, pushed around the mouth and spat out.

To achieve the best results, experts "push the sake into the nose". Suck in a little air, then slowly breathe the air out through your nose. This puts the taster in sake heaven when the most fully experiences the sake's full flavor. Sakes can be swallowed to test the nodokoshi ( how it passes down the throat ), and they're described in a myriad of different ways, the basic of which are 'dry', 'sweet' and 'having a tail'. Aside from getting lessons from a master, the best way to learn is to get drinking. Why not try one of Japan's most popular brands, Tamanohikari, drunk cold (50°F), or (10°C), which is the same as the temperature for a chateau white wine, and described as "superb sake".