What is Sake?
Although often referred to as "rice wine," sake (sah-keh) is more like an un-carbonated beer: rice starches are broken down into sugars which are then converted into alcohol. This process is known as "double fermentation" versus the "single fermentation" of fruit sugars to alcohol of wine. Although the basic ingredients are few (water, rice, yeast), a multitude of variables result in a product that, like wine, can vary from sweet to dry and rough to smooth. More than just a beverage, sake is an integral part of Japanese culture: many Japanese ceremonies involve sake as part of a blessing or purification.
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Sake Brewing
Steamed rice is mixed with water, yeast and koji (rice inoculated with a special mold) and fermented. Additional quantities of rice, water and koji are added at certain intervals and the resulting mash is allowed to ferment until it is pressed and filtered. The entire process takes between 3-5 weeks.
There are approximately 65 varieties of rice bred especially for sake brewing. Before steaming, rice grains are first polished to remove unwanted proteins and fats that interfere with the fermentation of the desirable starches at the center of the rice kernel. some daiginjo sakes begin with rice that is milled to 35% of its original size.
Types Of Sake
Junmai-shu and Honjozo-shu are sakes where at least 30% of the rice grain has been milled away. "Junmai" signifies a sake that has been brewed purely from rice, whereas "honjozo" denotes a sake where a small amount of distilled alcohol has been added to enhance the flavor or fragrance or both.
Ginjo-shu is sake where at least 40% of the rice grain has been milled away. Extra care and attention used in the brewing process results in sake that is more delicate and complex than junmai or honjozo sake. "Junmai Ginjo" denotes a ginjo sake brewed purely from rice "Aru-ten Ginjo," likehonjozo is sake where distilled alcohol has been added. If a bottle does not specifically state "Junmai-ginjo," it is usually understood to be aru-ten ginjo.
Daiginjo signifies a sake where more than 50% (and sometimes up to 655) of the rice grain has been milled away before brewing. Special yeasts and a longer, colder fermentation result in a sake that is generally more fragrant and smoother than ginjo sake. Daiginjo also comes as junmai and aru-ten.
Nigori is un-filtered sake that still contains fermented rice solids. It has a milky, cloudy appearance and tends to be sweet and creamy.
Namazake is "raw" sake that has not been pasteurized.
How To Enjoy Sake
Like wine, different sakes pair well with different foods. although Japanese by origin, adventurous palates find that sakes can be enjoyed with non-asian dishes as well.
One major difference between wine and sakes is that most sakes do not improve with age and should be consumed no more than a year from bottling. Once opened, a bottle of sake should be refrigerated and consumed within a week.
Despite many people's notions that sake should always be drunk warm, many of today's finer sakes should be enjoyed slightly chilled or at room temperature. In the past, many sakes were served warm to mask rough and harsh flavors of lower quality sake, often the only sake available for import. With improved brewing techniques and the availability of higher quality sakes from Japan (and brewed in the US), warmed sake is becoming more the exception than the rule.
