If all you know about Sake is the warm, alcoholic, rustic stuff served at many hibachi grills and Japanese restaurants, then you will be amazed by the range of flavors and the complexity of cold sakes.  Flavors of berries, melons, anise, lychee, macadamia, peaches, white pepper and a myriad of other tastes can all be found in small batch, artisan made cold-serve Sakes.  These Sake’s are not just for pairing with sushi either, they are great food wines that match up well with any cuisine you would normally serve a Sauvignon Blanc or Chablis with. Sake is a gluten free, sulfite free beverage perfect for many who suffer with headaches, rashes and other allergies associate with many other alcoholic drinks.  Often called “rice wine” Sake is actually a brewed product, more similar to beer than to wine.  Rice, water, yeast and a special mold affected rice(Koji) are the only ingredients in many premium Sakes (alcohol spirits are added to some to help bring out more flavor), and each of those three components will have a profound effect on the finished product.

Polishing Grades – Rice kernels for making sake are “polished” to remove the proteins, minerals and other impurities located in the outer portion of the kernel to get to the pure, fermentable starches at the center.  The more of the outer husk polished away, the better the grade of Sake produced. Daiginjo – 50% or more of kernel polished away Ginjo – 40% or more of kernel polished away Honjozo – 30% or more of kernel polished awayninja sushi menu aiea Futsu – “Table Sake” with no minimum polishing requirements.  sushi grade fish fargo ndAccounts for 75% of total Sake productionsushi in suhl cd Junmai – Sake made without the addition of distilled alcohol, or “pure rice saké”sushi grade fish hertfordshire

Tokubetsu – A somewhat vague term that means “special” sake.  Polishing of 55+%, low fermentation temperatures, or rare rice strains are some of the most common reasons for a Sake earning a tokubetsu designation. Nigori – A ‘Milk Saké’ or sake that is partially unfiltered or that has had some of the rice solids added back, resulting in a Sake that has a cloudy, milky white texture and appearance.  Most have an off-dry to sweet flavor.sushi las condes bushido Genshu – A Saké that is undiluted before bottling.sushi yoshi menu vienna Nihonshudo or Saké Meter Value (SMV) – A number that can be found on the back label of many Sakes indicating the sweetness/dryness level.  Zero being a neutral sweetness level with higher positive numbers indicating drier Sakes and lower negative numbers indicating sweeter Sakés.

Nama – Indicates an unpasteurized Saké. Yamahai – A traditional, time consuming brewing method that utilizes native yeast strains. Many breweries have abandoned the process since using cultured yeasts takes half the time and creates more predictable flavors. Yamahai Sakes typically have funky, yeasty, smoky, nutty notes. Bunraku Brewery – Forgotten Japanese Spirit Yamahai Junmai $14.99 300ml Crystal clear, hard water from the Arakawa River in Saitama Prefecture is known for producing great Sake.  Although this is a Yamahai style Sake, it is still very crisp and clean tasting, with just a hint of the smoky, nutty flavors that usually accompany brews made using this traditional, time consuming method.  Fruit flavors of peach and apricot accompany notes of white chocolate, kiwi, almond and just a dash of the wooly funkiness that makes Yamahai Sakes so highly prized.  Great with creamy rice, potato, spicy and oily dishes. Yuri Masamune Honjozo (720ml) 27.99

This sake is mellow and rustic and has a firm structure, which makes it enjoyable at a range of temperatures, from chilled to warm. Its nutty and earthy notes are balanced by an underlying fruitiness and it complements grilled meats, stews and fish. Produced in Akita by the Saiya Brewery, makers of Yuki No Bosha, this is a favorite among locals of the region. Yuri is the name of the local area of Honjo-shi and Masamune is an old term for Japanese sake. Tenryo Saké, Junmai Daiginjo Koshu $17.99 300ml This saké was aged for 4 years in the bottle. The glass is very dark and the aging took place under very cold temperatures so this saké hasn’t gained much color at all considering it’s a Koshu. It’s still very clean on the palate with white floral aromas and a relatively dry finish. Ozeki Osakaya Chobei $19.99 300ml Ozeki Osakaya Chobei is a premium sake named after the founder of Ozeki. This is a Daiginjo sake, brewed from the highly polished rice. The 50% of the rice grain is polished away.

Ozeki Osakaya Chobei has a rich and fruity aroma and a delicate flavor. This sake is excellent with light food such as Sashimi and steamed fish. Kikusui created the first unpasturized (nama) Sake can in 1972 and have been the leader of the segment ever since.  Canned nama sake is a wonderful thing.  The 200ml (one cup) cans allow for easy, light weight transport and they don’t need to be constantly refrigerated like glass bottled namas. The classic Yellow Can ($7.49) The nose on yellow can is a mix of banana bread and honey and the texture chewy, viscous. At 18% ABV and the flavor is rich and has a hint of perceived sweetness followed banana and melon fruit with yeasty undertones.  It goes well with lots of spicy foods because it is such a blanket of flavor and feeling. The Red Can ($8.49) is by far our best selling Sake.  A barrel aged version of the yellow can, it rachets up the complexity of the banana and honey flavors with nuances of floral nectar, pineapple with a hint of nuttiness.