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What's the Big Deal About Sake?
May 6, 2015
(Wine-Searcher) - It's time wine drinkers took sake a little more seriously, W. Blake Gray argues.
So what is the big deal about sake?
For wine lovers, discovering great sake is like finding a secret door to a hidden garden of delights. In some ways sake is like wine – it's a food-friendly beverage with astonishing diversity and complexity, which is why you see it on trendy restaurant wine lists. Sake offers a purity of ingredients required by laws that are far more strict than for wine. And sake tells tales to seduce the wine lover – centuries-old breweries, hands-on production, a true labor of love.
Does sake only go with Japanese food?
Most people's window into sake is by trying it with raw fish, and there's no better drink with sashimi. But sake goes well with a lot of foods. Bob Bath MS, a professor at the Culinary Institute of America, says his two favorite sake pairings are yamahai sake with fried chicken, and rich junmai sake with short ribs.
"Any time you have deep-fried foods, sake works really well with that crunchy exterior," Bath told Wine Searcher. "You're dealing with 15 percent alcohol, but I don't think it really drinks that way. It's not heavy. You can't compare it to 15 percent alcohol Cabernet. There's a lightness of body to sake that really helps it in pairings."
Where are the best sakes from?
Competent sakes are made in the US, but the best sakes are from Japan. At the high end, it's not like the difference between Burgundy and Oregon Pinot Noir; it's like the difference between Burgundy and Missouri Pinot Noir. Many US drinkers have yet to try their first great sake, as about 75 percent of sakes sold in the US are domestic. Of course, that's because, as with wine, the majority of sake sold is entry-level stuff and, at less than $15 retail, Japan has no advantage in quality. Pay more than $20, though, there's just no comparison.
Which matters most, the rice variety or the region?
Region. Unlike wine, which in theory is made only from grapes and yeast, sake is made in a two-step process: rice is first polished, soaked and steamed. A mold called koji is then added to the rice before yeast takes over the alcoholic fermentation. The process uses so much water that the water's character makes a huge difference to the final mouthfeel. For example, sakes from Niigata are famously clean and precise, while sakes from Hiroshima are rich and boozy.
As for rice, yamada nishiki is the most famous for sake; it's like the Cabernet of sake. But just like Cabernet, it doesn't grow well everywhere. Personally I like gohyakumangoku. Say that 10 times fast.
Can you tell me the classification system: Ginjo, daiginjo, all that?
Must I? My editor only gives me so many words to work with. Can't you Google it? (Even better, read the Wine Searcher encyclopedic entries!)
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