VINOGRAPHY: a wine blog
Wine and food adventures in San Francisco and around the world
~ Recently in Sake Category ~
Sake: Drinking, Serving, Storing and Enjoying
As many of you know, I have a thing for sake, after being introduced to the high-end stuff when I was living and working in Japan. I try to review great sakes here on Vinography as often as I can, while at the same time trying to teach those who are unfamiliar with the stuff a bit more about it. Some readers, either through their questions, or their outright requests, have rightly pointed out that I have skipped over some of the basics when it comes to sake, and these basics aren't exactly as well known among my readers as,... continue reading 
- Posted by: Alder on November 2, 2008 10:43 PM
- Filed under: Sake
Comments (6) - 
TrackBacks (0) - 
Permalink
The Joy of Sake 2008 Tasting: October 23, San Francisco
I absolutely love the fact that we've reached a point in this country where I don't need to explain why a sake tasting in San Francisco might be an enjoyable way to spend an evening. In the five years since I've been writing this blog, sake has gone from obscure to obvious, hardly known to hip. The availability and visibility of sake in the US has blossomed, driving by fine dining establishments and the increasing popularity of all things Japanese. Despite this, however, the average wine lovers' knowledge of sake is extremely limited, mostly by virtue of not having tasted... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 17, 2008 11:15 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Activities
- Comments (11) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Sake Day Tasting: October 1, San Francisco
Japan has given many things to the world that I cherish, but few of them have an unofficial holiday that gives me the excuse to celebrate them. But every October first, along with sake lovers all over Japan and around the world, I get to observe Nihonshu no Hi, also known as Sake Day. Like wine, no one knows exactly when sake first made an appearance. In a similar fashion to grape wine, the knowledge that fermented rice eventually yields an alcoholic beverage was probably discovered in accidental and then later deliberate stages, as innovative and curious folks explored ways... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 18, 2008 10:13 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Sake , Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Notes from the Manresa Sake Dinner
Last week, I was joined by an adventurous group of diners and drinkers for a completely unique meal at Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos, California. The result of months of discussions and planning between myself, Chef David Kinch, and Wine Director Jeff Bareilles, The Sake Dinner was an extraordinary experience. To my knowledge, no non-Japanese, U.S. restaurant of the caliber of Manresa has ever done a tasting menu exclusively to be paired with world-class sake as we did last Wednesday night. Chef Kinch created a special eight-course meal that drew on his deep love of Japanese cuisine and its influence... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 16, 2008 11:28 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Sake , Wine Activities
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Minogawa Shuzo "Koshino Omachi" Daiginjo, Niigata Prefecture
In the wine world, the grapes matter. Move past the varietal surface of wine consumption, and you'll quickly descend into a world where the qualities of a given wine (say, Russian River Pinot Noir) are discussed in terms of how Dijon clone 667 grapes do on Riparia Gloire rootstock. In the world of sake, a lot of things matter, from the water, to the yeast, to the Koji mold -- and of course, the rice. To say that rice is to sake as grapes are to wine is not entirely accurate. For instance, the primary differences in how two different... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 7, 2008 4:17 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Kamoizumi "Summer Snow" Nigori Ginjo, Hiroshima Prefecture
Review By W. Blake Gray Stop the presses -- no, wait, this isn't printed. OK, stop the Internet -- I found an excellent nigori sake! Nigori is the White Zinfandel of sake. It's tremendously popular, particularly with people just discovering sake. It tends to be very sweet. And experts turn up their noses at it, usually with good reason. Nigori sakes are white and cloudy because they contain bits of rice that didn't complete fermentation. They have an interesting, chewy texture. What turns off sake aficionados, more than their sweetness, is their lack of complexity -- you don't get the... continue reading
- Posted by: Blake on August 21, 2008 4:31 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Akitabare "Shunsetsu" Nama Honjozo, Akita Prefecture
By W. Blake Gray "Spring Snow" is a pretty good nickname for a sake because it sounds not just delicate and natural, but outright freaky when you think about it. Snowing in springtime? You don't see that often. Same for its sake namesake -- although in this case, blame not Mother Nature, but the US government. Akitabare "Shunsetsu" ("spring snow") Nama Honjozo is highly unusual because it combines a class of sake we often see in the U.S. -- nama -- with one that we don't, honjozo. Honjozo sakes are basically the same quality as junmai sakes, because at least... continue reading
- Posted by: Blake on July 8, 2008 10:30 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Sake Rice Matters: the Experts are Wrong.
By W. Blake Gray How much does the type of rice matter in sake? "Not much," most experts say. But I disagree, and one of my favorite breweries, Dewazakura from Yamagata prefecture, has made it possible to taste for yourself. Wine lovers may take it as a given that rice "varietals" matter. We all believe we can tell a Pinot Noir from a Cabernet Sauvignon without difficulty. So why wouldn't we be able to taste the difference between Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku? With sake, though, the brewing process has always been considered more important than the type of rice. The... continue reading
- Posted by: Blake on July 1, 2008 10:05 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Sake
- Comments (10) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Ohyama Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori, Yamagata Prefecture
We all understand the power of brands. There was likely a time for most Americans alive to day when we used "Reynolds Wrap" when we meant aluminum foil. Some of us still say Kleenex instead of tissue and Xerox instead of photocopy. When one company pioneers a product that becomes so ubiquitous and common, it's likely that the name will stick, even when we're no longer using the original product. There was a time in Japan's history when sake was more easily referred to as Oyamazake, for exactly the same reasons. In 1882, the Shogun commanded that a sake... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 29, 2008 11:21 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wines under $20
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Kamotsuru "Sokaku" Daiginjo, Hiroshima Prefecture
One of the fascinating and attractive things about sake breweries are their (usually) much longer and storied histories than the wineries of the western world. While there are a few wineries that have been in existence for a few hundred years, there are many more sake breweries that have been doing their thing for many hundreds, some continuously operated by a single family. Kamotsuru Shuzo may not be one of the oldest breweries in Japan, as it can only trace its history back to 1623, and really only began production under the Kamotsuru name in 1873, but it is one... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 23, 2008 11:06 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Takasago Ginga Shizuku "Divine Droplets" Junmai Daiginjo, Hokkaido Prefecture
It is deep winter. The snows lay heavy on the mountains of northern Japan. Cedar trees hang sparkling, dusted with ice, over frozen rivers and streams. The air is crisp, even crystalline in its stillness, and the white landscape yields only the slightest muffled sounds. In the heart of this winter landscape a strange sight emerges every winter. A huge igloo, constructed entirely of ice, filled with rotund canvas bags. From these somewhat alien shapes that hang suspended from the ceiling at minus 2 degrees Centigrade, drip solitary drops of a sake unlike any other in the world. This strange... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 11, 2008 9:12 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Asahi Shuzo Dassai Niwari Sanbu "Otterfest 23" Junmai Daiginjo, Yamaguchi Prefecture
There is no real reason to attempt a comparison between sake and wine. Each are their own universe and deserve to be evaluated on their own terms. Leaving aside for a moment the radically different methods of their making, sake and wine are different enough that comparisons tend to introduce more confusion than clarity to any particular effort to make a point. Nonetheless, I continue to draw parallels between wine and sake if only to explain sake in terms that most wine lovers can understand. My latest angle at helping wine lovers make sense of sake comes in the form... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 10, 2008 10:13 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Kamoizumi "Shusen - Three Dots" Junmai, Hiroshima Prefecture
In the world of sake, perhaps even more so than the world of wine, just when you think you've figured out that things work a certain way, you stumble across an exception that completely destroys whatever sense of predictability you might have been cultivating. It's fairly safe to say that most fine sakes should be served chilled, to preserve and highlight their subtleties and delicate qualities. However, there are a specific class of higher end sakes that not only can be served at room temperature, but actually benefit from a little warmth. These sakes bear no resemblance in style (or... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 6, 2008 10:55 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Obata Shuzo Manotsuru "Yososaku" Junmai Daiginjo, Niigata Prefecture
Sake brewing has a long and storied history in Japan, and because of the island nation's relative isolation, many breweries can trace their origins back several centuries. Such timelines make it possible to suggest with only the smallest hint of jest, that having only been founded in 1885, Obata Shuzo is a relatively new kid on the sake brewing block. Yososaku Obata opened his brewery in 1885 on an island off the western coast of Japan's Niigata prefecture. A vintage photograph of the founder shows him dressed in a western suit, with a handlebar mustache that most Italian's would... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 1, 2008 9:55 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Masuizumi Junmai Daiginjo, Toyama Prefecture
Many of us drink wine as a portal to a sense of place and time -- to be transported through flavor and aroma to a patch of land and the cumulative effects of a season under the sun in our glasses. No matter what your definition or personal religious stance on the concept of terroir, it cannot be denied that the best wines convey some sense of locality. Sake, on the other hand, tends to defy our traditional notions of terroir. Of course, there's certainly an analogue to wine's sense of place -- the specific spring water, the particular strain... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 17, 2008 11:58 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Sake
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Kikusui Funaguchi Ichiban Shibori Honzojo, Niigata Prefecture
I'll admit it right off the bat: I'm a serious sake snob. I don't mean that in the sense that I believe my taste in aake is superior to anyone else's, only that I'm extremely picky when it comes to sake. In particular, I tend to discriminate on the basis of the class of sake. I tend to prefer ginjo and daiginjo sakes, and most often the junmai versions of these. Ginjo and daiginjo are the two top classes of sake, as measured by the degree to which the rice kernels used to make them have been milled or polished... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 23, 2008 11:33 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Tamanohikari Shuzo "Yuki Hiryo Shiyo Bizen Omachi 100%" Junmai Daiginjo, Kyoto Prefecture
I go to Japan to do three primary things. See beautiful crafts and architecture, eat amazing food, and drink sake. One of the tricky parts of the latter is that unlike anywhere else in the (Western Alphabet) world I can't read the sake list if there is one, which most of the time there isn't. Nor can I look at the label of the bottle that has been brought to me and understand what it is, who made it, or where it comes from. And because my spoken Japanese is somewhat limited, there's only so much I can pry out... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 29, 2007 5:55 PM
- Filed under: Sake
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Hananomai Junmai Ginjo, Shizuoka Prefecture
By W. Blake Gray Winemakers generally have more interesting stories to tell than sake master brewers ("toji"). Naturally, I'm here today to tell you about an exception. You get spoiled interviewing winemakers, some of whom discovered an innate ability after half a lifetime spent doing something else entirely, and many of whom have time left over for hobbies. So Sean Thackrey can talk about being an art dealer, or Robert Foley can talk about his guitar heroics. For the most part, sake toji choose that profession at an early age. They generally have boring personal lives (and they have difficulty... continue reading
- Posted by: Blake on November 2, 2007 11:25 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Kurosawa Kimoto Junmai, Nagano Prefecture
By W. Blake Gray. "Keep refrigerated," the labels say in English. So why do I keep finding these bottles of sake on ordinary store shelves? Here's an open letter to everyone who works in a store that carries sake. Walk over to the unrefrigerated sakes. Check the labels. If you find a delicate daiginjo with a label that says "keep refrigerated," take a big black marker and write "cooking sake" on it and slash the price to $5. Or, alternately, sell that sake to some unwitting customer, just as you would a case of beer that had been left out... continue reading
- Posted by: Blake on October 8, 2007 6:35 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The World's Best Sake: Tasting the Joy of Sake 2007
I've currently got my man Blake Gray doing some writing here on sake, but that won't stop me from writing about it when I've got something to say or notes to share. Like Blake, I made my annual pilgrimage to the Joy of Sake, an event which is effectively the largest sake tasting outside of Japan, and which is a wonderful treat for those who enjoy this nectar. Much to my continued delight, America seems to be discovering fine sake at a fantastic rate. And I don't mean the hot stuff that every sushi restaurant has been serving since the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 28, 2007 12:01 AM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Okunomatsu Ginjo, Fukushima prefecture
By W. Blake Gray. I'm so frustrated, I've got drinkus interruptus. Or more accurately, blatherus interruptus. Here's what happened: I went to Japan, drank a bunch of sake and took notes. Then I went to the Joy of Sake event; ditto. The idea, beyond maintaining a rice buzz, was to find Vinography readers some cutting-edge sakes that you just can't read about anywhere else in English. Well, I succeeded. But then I started floundering around trying to find out where you can buy these great sakes, and discovered it would be easier to get a first-edition copy of my first... continue reading
- Posted by: Blake on September 25, 2007 10:54 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Dewazakura Dewasansan Nama Junmai Ginjo, Yamagata Prefecture
By W. Blake Gray It's easy to taste the difference between wine grapes. But can you taste the difference between strains of rice used in sake? Often times, no: the unique flavors of different rice strains are purposely minimized in many, if not most, brands of sake. This week's sake is a rare exception: a sake that allows you to taste how, in this case, Dewasansan rice differs from its genetic parent Omachi, or the most popular premium sake rice, Yamada Nishiki. Dewazakura makes three junmai ginjos in similar styles, varying only the rice. Tasting them side-by-side is a revelation.... continue reading
- Posted by: Blake on September 16, 2007 9:59 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Shirataki Shuzo Jozen Mizunogotoshi Junmai Ginjo, Niigata Prefecture
By W. Blake Gray. Shirataki brewery was founded by an innkeeper on a road through the snowy Mikuni mountains in 1855, a little more than a year after U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry and his black ships forced Japan to open to the rest of the world. The name of the brand, "Jozen mizunogotoshi," means roughly "the way of living is just like water" and comes from an interpretation of Chinese philosopher Laozi. Unusually for the chauvinistic sake industry, Shirataki maintains a research section staffed entirely by women. That's nice. But that's not why I picked it. I wanted to kick... continue reading
- Posted by: Blake on September 9, 2007 9:57 AM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
W. Blake Gray on Sake
Irrashaimase! Welcome to Sakography. (Rice-ography?) We're in the golden age of sake on this planet: sake has never been better than this. Technology advances as simple as refrigeration and as complex as regional rice breeding programs have taken sake to a higher level than ever before. And thanks to increased use of refrigerated shipping to the U.S., we now taste many of these great sakes the way they should be. American drinkers are starting to realize this. But at the same time sake invades more and more wine lists at non-Asian restaurants here, the sake industry is facing a long-term... continue reading
- Posted by: Blake on September 9, 2007 9:55 AM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Sake
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
2007 Joy of Sake Tasting: September 13, San Francisco
It brings me great pleasure to not even really have to explain why a sake tasting in San Francisco might be an enjoyable way of spending an evening. In the nearly four years since I've been writing this blog, sake has gone from obscure to obvious, hardly known to hip. The availability and visibility of sake in the US has blossomed, driving by fine dining establishments and the increasing popularity of all things Japanese. Despite this, however, the average wine lovers' knowledge of sake is extremely limited, mostly by virtue of not having tasted very much sake side-by-side in comparison... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 4, 2007 11:00 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
Tsukasabotan Junmai Daiginjo Sake, Kochi Prefecture, Japan
At its best, like the finest wines of the world, sake provides a window into another world. While a great vintage of wine from a top producer may offer a glimpse through the lens of time into a particular patch of soil and a given harvest, a great sake offers a view of something more ethereal, more insubstantial. With sake there is no real expression of terra firma, instead there is an expression of what might best be described as atmosphere -- a quality of light, of air, of history. Sometimes when I'm drinking great sake, I imagine that in... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 28, 2007 10:05 PM
- Filed under: Sake
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Sato no Homare "Pride of The Village" Junmai Ginjo Sake, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Wine strikes me as the child of the sun -- an essence coaxed from an alchemy of solar energy and the lifeblood of the vines -- its flavors, an expression of the dance between upward straining tendrils and the sky. Sake, on the other hand, would be the child of the earth -- forged from water drawn from the depths, from rice whose modest growth hugs the wet soil that gives it life, and from the mysterious koji mold that prefers darkness to light. Sake and wine seem to embody two distinct essences of life, each with different relationships to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 26, 2007 6:35 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Sake , Wine Reviews
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink