Sake to Me

Handpainted sake bottles, on display at an antique shop in the Tokyo suburb of Shitamachi.

View Photos (1) Image © 2003 Robert George

Sake (SAH-kay) is Japan's preeminent contribution to the world of adult beverages. Sake production in Japan likely dates back over 2,000 years. Consensus has it originating in the late Nara Era (710-94 BC), having begun shortly after the introduction of wet-rice cultivation from China during the third century BC.

Earliest sake, known as kuchikami no (or "chewing-in-the-mouth") sake, was used primarily in Shinto religious rites, and its production was confined to the Imperial Court and larger temples and shrines. In its infancy, ritual sake-making entailed a communal chewing and purging of rice into a large wooden vat, where the "sacred" fermentation would occur.

Advances in technique (Hallelujah!) and technology over the centuries have substantially changed the taste, clarity and secular acceptance of sake. Its evolution notwithstanding, sake remains the potable of choice at modern Nipponese religious and civil ceremonies.

Just as single malt Scotch, fine French Champagne and signature Napa Cabernet have found an audience in contemporary Japan, so too has the internationalization of all things epicurean accustomed Western palates to exotic Asian libations. Here in the Bay Area one can find sake on a growing number of store shelves and (not just Japanese) restaurant beverage lists.

While sake's uniqueness enhances its intrigue in our marketplace, it presents a dilemma for retailers and sommeliers - how to categorize it. Is it wine or beer? Sake is popularly referred to as "rice wine." Yet sake production facilities are uniformly referred to as breweries. At the same time, sake, wine and beer all rely on fermentation and the conversion of glucose, in the presence of yeast, into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Webster defines wine, first and foremost, as fermented grape juice, but extends the pedigree to the fermentation of any plant material. When vinting grapes, fruit sugar fer- ments naturally, following the addition of yeast.

Beer "brewing" requires a pre-fermentation procedure. Any farinaceous grain (generally barley) needs to be malted and ground for saccharification (the conversion of starch to glucose), at which point fermentable glucose can be extracted via the addition of hot water. Sake production loosely approximates that of both techniques. One must look to its idiosyncrasies to understand the enigma in its classification.

Making Sake

The making of fine sake requires very few ingredients. Water, for instance, comprises 80 percent of the final product and influences the purity and mineral content of the brew. Beneficial microbes also lend a critical hand in processing. Nonetheless, it's the particular strain of short-to-medium-grained rice and the craftsmanship of the brew master, or toji, that will most influence the quality of finished sake.

Sake rice requires a purer starch content than table (eating) rice. Once harvested, the grain is milled (polished) to remove the outer layers of bran, protein and trace fat, which can adversely affect fermentation and add "off" flavors. The higher starch content of a kernel's core insures more efficient fermentation and smoother, more refined sake. Most sake rice is shaved at least 30 percent, while up to 60 percent removal can lend enhanced expression and refinement. Savvy Japanese will pay substantially more for extended pol- ishing of high-grade rice from premiere paddies.

Once polished, the rice is then washed, steeped for hydration and steam-cooked in preparation for fermentation. Conversion of rice starch to glucose requires the production of koji, the most critical as well as the most difficult step in sake-making.

Spores of koji-kin (aspergillus oryzae), a beneficial mold similar to that used in Blue Cheese, are cultivated in a portion of the steamed rice. Koji, as did primitive saliva, provides the enzymes catalyzing saccharification. The malting rice is then integrated into the moto (yeast-infused steamed rice).

This unique and sophisticated science results in a "mash" that ferments an average of three weeks, followed by pressing, filtering, aging and blending to taste. Adding to its novelty, sake finishes at approximately 20 percent alcohol, highest of all fermented potations (recall that Port is fortified). In turn, the toji will dilute his/her brew to somewhere between 13 percent and 16 percent to maintain a consistent and marketable style.

Most sake is also pasteurized at approximately 140° to kill off bacteria and terminate enzyme activity. Toji did this three centuries before the definitive work of Louis Pasteur (1822-96). Some muse at the notion that toji may have made the first "kosher" wine.

Types of Sake

Sakes can vary considerably in fragrance, flavor and complexity, though admittedly within a narrower spectrum than grape-based wine. Just as France, Italy and other European states have established rigid classification systems indicating pedigree, so too have the Japanese categorized distinctions and presumed quality.

There are far too many grades of sake to delineate here. For simplification, classes of sake can be reduced to:

Ginjo-shu (or "premium") - The equivalent of a "reserve" in vinum vernacular, represents the pinnacle of the brewers' craft. Premium sake production is more labor intensive and costly, involving extended polishing of lofty lots of righteous rice. Special yeast is employed for slower fermentation. The result is flowery and fruity, rich and silky.

Fatsuu-shu - Everyday sake that accounts for some 80 percent of production, representing the vast majority of the sake found on our supermarket and liquor store shelves. Commonly referred to as "regular" sake, it tends to be slightly sweeter and lighter-bodied than "premium" sake.

Namazake - Also known as Draft Sake. Immediately after fermentation nama is purified by its passage through specially designed microfilters rather than heat pasteurization. Since heat treatment can change the flavors, this cold-filtered product retains all the original flavors. Nama means "fresh" and is bottled immediately after filtration, rather than being aged several months like other sakes. The result is a light, clean and fresh beverage that should always be consumed chilled (more on serving temperatures later).

Mirin - Very sweet, full-bodied sake reserved for cooking. One of the most common ingredients in Japanese cooking, it is probably best known to Americans as the base for teriyaki sauce. Try it yourself by combining equal portions of mirin and soy sauce and spicing the mixture with grated fresh ginger and chopped garlic. Be creative, as this versatile ingredient can serve as the base for many a marinade, sauce or glaze. I like it in stir-fry and (sacrilege) as a dessert wine alongside nutty, creamy cheeses.

Plum wine should also get a special mention as a lower alcohol, sake-based product that is increasingly gaining converts locally. Plum extract or concentrate is blended into sake to create a refreshingly light and fruity, mildly sweet beverage. Plum wine is generally served chilled or over ice.

Serving Sake

Should you choose to heat your sake, it's best to do so by submerging it in a porcelain serving receptacle, called a tokkuri, in hot water for 3 to 5 minutes. The same result can be achieved by placing room-temperature sake in a microwave for approximately 30 seconds. Purists would have you serve your sake in demitasse-sized ceramic or wooden cups.

Regardless, it is customary (unless you're alone) to have another person pour your portion. And since one of sake's attractions is its lack of sulfites and other preservatives, it should be consumed young, and finished soon after opened. Sakes' screw cap closures should help.

Where to buy Sake

There are microbreweries aplenty, with over 3,000 sake-producing facilities currently in Japan. The fact that sake has a relatively short shelf life, coupled with the heightened cost of indigenous rice, explains why the largest Japanese corporate brewers have built facilities abroad. Proximity to cheap Sacramento Valley rice and pure Sierra water convinced the Japanese to locate five of their six American facilities in California: American Pacific Rim, Verona; Gekkeikan Sake (USA), Folsom; Kohnan (Hakusan), Inc., Napa; Ozeki Sake (USA), Hollister; and Takara Sake (USA), Inc., Berkeley.

Each of these breweries can be accessed via the Internet and will ship direct within California. While quality and bottle size can vary by producer, you can expect to pay under $12 for most domestically produced brands. For pricey, aged and allocated imports, start with specialty markets in San Francisco's Japantown.

The curious should take advantage of our proximity to Takara Sake, producer of the best selling brand of sake in the states, Sho Chiku Bai. A visit to Berkeley's Takara Sake includes a complimentary tasting of their wares, accompanied by background classical flute music. Authentic architecture, annotated museum, and introductory video complete the experience. For heaven's sake, partake.

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Fact File

Sake Association of America http://www.sakeusa.com/

Gekkeikan Sake http://www.gekkeikan-sake.com/

Hakusan Sake http://www.hakusan.com

Ozeki Sake http://www.ozekisake.com/

Takara Sake http://www.takarasake.com/

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Published on 6/3/03