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FrontRangeLiving.com -> Cooking -> Sake
SAKÉ REVEALED
 By Sally Mohr,
Master Sommelier
When you frequent your favorite sushi restaurant and ask for a glass of saké,
what do you get? Do they dutifully bring you a small cup and carafe of a warm
beverage? If so, it may not be premium saké, which is served chilled or at room
temperature.
Or, do they give you a list of strange looking names? Do you glance through
it only to end up dazed and confused? Saké can be understood. With our growing
sophistication in Asian cuisine, there is a renaissance in this country
regarding the traditional Japanese fermented rice beverage.
Saké has always been considered magical. It contains only four ingredients
– rice, water, yeast, and koji, a mold spore. But each saké tastes unique.
Until chemistry and scientific analysis became available, no one knew for sure
what properties each of those four ingredients contributed to that diversity of
flavor and aroma, other than the intervention of the saké master.
It’s a fermented rice beverage, similar to beer rather than wine. For those
sensitive to sulfites or preservatives, you won’t find either in saké. Beware
that with it comes a considerable clout of alcohol, more than beer and most
wines, but premium saké will not cause a hangover.
AN ANCIENT BEVERAGE
Saké has been produced in Japan since the third century B.C. when wet rice
cultivation was introduced from China. It is believed that saké originated in
China around 4800 B.C. in the Yangtze River Valley. But it wasn’t until the
Japanese court set up an imperial brewing department in 689 A.D. that any
consistency and refinement of product could be achieved.
With over 200 rice strains identified in Japan, about 60 are used for saké
production. Saké rice is not table rice. The higher the quality of the saké
desired, the more of the outside grain is polished away. Breweries located near mineral wells and springs that contributed to
taste.
The heart of the saké making process is koji, a mold spore that is added to
lactic acid, rice, water and a yeast mixture. Koji eats its way into the rice
grain. The enzymes it provides change the long starch molecules into short sugar
molecules, which become food for the yeast.
SAKÉ DIFFERS FROM BEER AND WINE IN THE BREWING PROCESS
Rice is polished, cleaned and steamed; koji is made over a two-day period.
When the enzyme conversion is complete, the koji looks like rice with frosting
on it, tastes slightly sweet and smells like chestnuts. Yeast starter is made
over a two-week period and will determine the style. Saké then ferments for 18
to 32 days.
What sets saké apart from other fermented beverages like wine and beer is
the unusual fermentation. The conversions of starch to sugar and sugar to
alcohol occur simultaneously, unlike beer where they are two separate activities,
or wine, which just needs to convert the sugar to alcohol. The liquid is
filtered from the solids. Saké is pasteurized twice, aged about six months for
most, and blended. More than 95 percent of all saké made in Japan has added
alcohol, because it’s cheaper to produce.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN ORDERING
Saké, just like wine, can have a multitude of flavors. You can experience
aromas of flowers and herbs, or earth and clay, along with the brine of the sea.
Fruit flavors range from apples, pears, melons, plums and tropical fruits
including mango and pineapple.
On the label you might find the saké meter value, which gives an indication
of the relative dryness or sweetness of the sake. Numbers range from –6 to +7,
with 0 indicating neutral. The negative number registers the sweet scale while
the positive is the dry. Unfortunately, this is not an absolute scale because
the level of acidity can skew your individual perception. A dry saké will
appear even drier when higher acidity is present.
The more the rice kernel is polished, the more delicate and aromatic the
saké. The higher quality designations of Tolubetsu, Ginjo, Daiginjo, and Junmai
would lean towards a lighter, more fragrant style. The Namasake and Nigori, with
their cloudy appearance, would be rich. Genshu will feel heavier and slightly
sweeter due to its higher alcohol content. Alcohol registers as sweet on the
tongue.
Each saké is unique. Some are smooth, rich and lush while others can be
assertive, rough and tart. Think about what you like in your other beverage
choices and try to translate that into a saké style. Price can sometimes help
you in your selection. At a good saké bar you will find prices from $2 to $15 a
glass. Experience the difference between the high and the low.
The fun is in the discovery. The food you choose will influence the taste, so
order a glass of several styles and try them with your meal. Enjoy the
adventure.
FOR BUDDING SAKÉ AFICIONADOS
If you’d like to know more about the various types of saké, a roster of
Japanese terms will get you started. The next time you’re handed a long menu
list, these titles will help you order exactly what you want.
Junmai (junmai-shu) – A "pure rice" form that has no brewer’s
alcohol added to final product.
Honjozo (honjozo-shu) – Here, brewer’s alcohol has been added at
the end of fermentation just before filtration. Usually lighter than junmai,
served room temperature or warmed.
Ginjo (ginjo-shu) – Rice is polished to 60 percent of the original
kernel. More care is taken during all the aspects of processing. Rice grains
are not cracked during polishing, fermentation is at a lower temperature and
for longer periods, pressing is often done by hand. Can be Junmai Ginjo and
Honjozo Ginjo.
Daiginjo (daiginjo-shu) – This is a sub classification of ginjo. At
least 50 percent of the outer rice grain is polished off. Even more care is
taken during processing. Can be Junmai Daiginjo and Honjozo Daiginjo.
Tokubetsu -- "Special" rice has been milled to
65 percent or less or its original size. Can be junmai or honjozo.
Futsu-shu – "normal saké". Any saké that does not meet
the criteria of the above five categories. This is not a reference to its
quality, it just doesn’t use the special ingredients or processes.
Namasaké – "fresh or raw" saké, not pasteurized. This
must be kept refrigerated and can come from any of the above categories. Turns
milky if not kept refrigerated, and the sweetness and sourness fall out of
balance from the presence of lactic-acid producing bacteria.
Namachozo – Pasteurized once before shipping after the usual
six-months aging.
Namazume – Pasteurized once after brewing and before aging.
Genshu – Has not been diluted from the original 20 percent alcohol. Nama
Genshu is unpasteurized Genshu.
Koshu – Aged saké. Most are intended to be consumed within one year
of fermentation. Now you can find saké aged for 3, 5, or 10 years. It’s
stronger, more astringent, and has earthier flavors and aromas. Can be musty
and dank or smoky and rich.
Nigori (nigorizake) – "Cloudy". Roughly filtered to retain
some of the rice and koji rice from the fermentation vessel into the bottle.
Some breweries will add the lees to a filtered product. Shake the bottle
before serving. Usually sweeter style, milky in color, and chewy in texture.
Before filtration had been improved, all saké was nigori style.
Infused Saké – Flavored or infused bottlings are not seen in Japan,
just in the United States. Not considered a traditional saké. Asian pear,
black raspberry, yuzu (japanese citron), roasted hazelnut are some of the
flavors.
Taru saké (taruzake) – Aged in a cypress cask or barrel imparting a
spicy note similar to flavor from the masu cup.
Yamahai Shikomi – Lactic acid not added to the yeast starter creating
a tarter style.
Kimoto – Again no lactic acid added plus an intensive mixing and
aerating technique applied to the starter mash.
Sanzo-shu – commercial product with sugar, flavorings, and brewer’s
alcohol added. In other words – Rotgut.
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