The Art of Sake

WINE & DINE

The Art of Sake Japanese sake, which they call the ‘Drink of the Gods’, is trending around the world. From bars and bistros to interesting food pairings, sake seemed to have finally found its way in the West…

Text: Gavin Nazareth Photography: Manoo Manookulkit

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ouring carefully, the server fills the chilled crystal ochoko in front of me. I sniff the almost clear liquid, inhaling its fruity and floral nose loaded with pear, melon and jasmine notes. In the mouth, it is delicately floral, with a hint of sweetness on the front palate that is balanced by a fine minerality and fresh acidity.

It is certainly far removed from what is served at many of the city’s sushi bars.

In answer to my look of surprise at the delicate flavours of the Dewazakura ‘oka’ Ginjo, Yamagata sake I am sampling, Samuel Davies, beverage manager at the Bangkok outpost of contemporary Japanese restaurant Zuma says, “Look at it the same way you would a wine.”

That’s hard to do when all your memory serves up is a recollection of pounding headaches the morning after one too many sake cups and boozy shouts of kampai. For years, this centuries-old beverage (pronounced ‘sak-ay’) has got short shrift from drinkers around the globe better acquainted with beer, wine and other spirits.

A lack of education and almost non-existent marketing could explain why it is not up there on the pedestal with wine. But it is predominantly also because most people associate it with futsu-shu, the cheap industrial-grade generic sake that is the equivalent of table wine and usually served warm to mask impurities.

While even an average wine novice will know a little about how wine is produced and what the broad categories are, most people don’t have a clue about how sake is produced, and in some cases even what it’s made from. Firstly, what we in the rest of the world understand as sake (or alcohol fermented from rice) is known as ‘nihonshu’ in Japan, which literally means ‘Japanese alcohol’ (the word ‘sake’ means alcohol in general).

Few also realise that top-quality sake can be enjoyed much like a fine white wine. It offers the richness of a luscious Chardonnay in the mouth, but with more funky flavours and less acidity. Explaining how he was schooled in the complexities of this traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage by Sayaka Watanabe, head sake sommelier at Zuma London, Davies says, “You have to look at the aromatics, the volume, look at the palate, the texture, the acidity. Does it have a mineral backbone? And then look at the balance and the finish, the length.”

A top sake importer in the United States, quoted in a magazine, says sake is much easier to understand than wine as it comes from one country, has no vintages and is made to taste the same way the previous year’s batch was made. But understanding méthode sake is no easy process, as even deciphering the labels on sake bottles can become a daunting task.

“Sake is one of the most wonderful drinks in terms of production as it’s made from all

Another gaijin who has made a name for himself in the world of sake is John Gauntner. Often referred to as the “sake dendoushi” (sake evangelist) or simply as “The Sake Guy”, the long-time Japan resident is considered the world’s leading sake educator. His Sake-World.com is a treasure trove of information about the basics and intricacies of sake. He is also the founding member of the Sake Export Association, and author of The Sake Handbook, The Sake Companion, Nihonjin Mo Shiranai Nihonshu No Hanashi (The Story of Sake Even the Japanese Don’t Know).

raw materials, rice water, yeast and koji (a culture made from rice and mould),” Davies says, adding that sake’s production is more complex than wine. “The fermentation is longer. Wine takes 15-21 days, while sake is between 22-40 days.”

Like the grapes used to make wine, sake rice comes in a range of varietals, with nine basic varieties, each imparting a different set of flavours and aromatics. And again just like its cousin, there are categories of sake.

Beau Timken, a professional sake taster and sommelier, also the owner of what he describes as “the first dedicated sake store outside of Japan” (located in San Francisco) and the co-author of Sake: A Modern Guide, says on his website True Sake(.com), “…instead of different varietals of grapes such as Chardonnay or Cabernet, sake is broken down in terms of how much each grain of sake brewing rice is milled.”

His moment of truth came when he lived in Cape Town. “I met a group of Japanese fishermen who were drinking their own premium sake that they had brought into the local sushi restaurant. In broken English, these fishermen explained that the Benihana-style piping hot sake that I was used to consuming was in fact inferior sake. That day represented the official ‘first day’ of my passion and obsession for learning all things sake.”

SLT: What attracted you to sake?

John Gauntner: Its depth of flavour, culture, history and craftsmanship.

How did you go about becoming a sake samurai?

Were there courses already available and what kind of courses do you offer now?

Sake Samurai is an award, so I got it, I did not become it. No formal courses were available and I learned by doing. I now offer a professional course and an advanced version, and about 850 people have gone through the course, although we do not use the term ‘sake sommelier’.

How many sake breweries are there in Japan?

About 1,300 active breweries.

Given the complicated process of making sake, what is the most difficult part of the brewing process?

Koji is the most important, and the hardest to do right.

But every step is important.

The sake tradition is centuries-old… Do you see any trends in the production process?

Many, yes – too many to recount here. It is constantly undergoing change.

Have you seen a growing interest in sake recently?

Yes. Sake consumption has grown domestically for two years straight now, and exports have been growing for over a decade, with the US taking 35 percent of those.

But there is still lots of room for growth.

“How on Earth do you make a drink with the fragrance of fruit from rice? My curiosity was piqued and my palate seduced” – Ph i l i p H a r p e r

In your opinion, why has sake got short shrift around the globe?

A lack of education and too many preconceived notions!

Is sake drinking in Japan is on the decline? If yes, what are the reasons?

Not for the last two years, but for decades before that, yes. And it is mainly because of poor marketing on the part of the industry. Quality does not have anything to do with it. Quality has been on the rise for decades.

Does sake make a better choice for Japanese cuisine than wine?

Yes, because sake has more umami, less acid and no tannins.

What about with other cuisines like French or Italian?

Sake clashes with almost nothing and goes with a wide range of food due to the lower tannins and acid.

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All rice, even the kind we eat, is brown when it leaves the paddy field before it is polished to reveal the white interior. To make sake, the rice is scrubbed or polished even further to get rid of the fats and proteins that could interfere with fermentation. A fifth of its original mass is taken off to make ordinary sake, while for a premium sake at least 60 percent of its original weight will removed. More is definitely better when making premium sake.

But that’s only part of the complex process.

How it is brewed and the water used is also part of the equation. “The most important thing of all the raw materials is water,” says Davies. “If you don’t have a good water source, you cannot produce a good sake. So a lot of breweries locate themselves on a water source, a mountain stream or artesian springs.”

He says the polished rice is then washed, soaked, steamed and then laid out on a rack.

“Koji is sprinkled over the top to convert the starch into fermentable sugars. Then yeast is added along with water. This mash is brought up to a certain temperature so the yeast can ‘eat’ the sugars and convert it into alcohol.”

The mixture is allowed to ferment for several days, during which new batches of rice, water and koji are added regularly.

The mash is then set aside for a month. It is finally pressed, filtered, and pasteurised before it is bottled.

While the origins of this ‘Drink of the Gods’ is unclear, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association’s website says, “If we think of the history of sake as the history of Japanese liquor or of rice-based liquor, the origins go back as far as 2,500 years ago when rice growing became prevalent in Japan.”

The Sake Information Centre, an independent, inter-professional organisation which provides information about sake on

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behalf of sake importers and producers, notes on it’s website that “sake has been Japan’s own drink for many centuries. In the olden days, a type of sake was probably made by chewing on rice and spitting this out into a collection tray. The enzymes from the saliva resulted in the starch being broken down and the natural presence of yeast resulted in the created sugars being turned into alcohol.”

Though production methods have been refined over the centuries, it remains a protracted process done mostly by hand. Today, brewing sake is a highly skilled profession, passed down from generation to generation, with breweries remaining in the same families, also being passed from father to son – the exception being Philip Harper, Japan’s first and only foreign toji or master sake brewer. Arriving in Japan in 1988 from Cornwall in Southeast England to teach English, he began working in sake breweries before sitting for and passing the tough Nanbu Brewer’s Guild Exam in 2000. Since 2008 he has worked as the toji at Kinoshita Sake Brewery crafting their awardwinning Tamagawa brand.

The author of two books on the subject, Harper describes what got him hooked in the first one, The Insider’s Guide to Sake: “How on Earth do you make a drink with the fragrance of fruit from rice? My curiosity was piqued and my palate seduced.”

Sake is enjoying a steady growth in popularity with sales up all over the libation world. Says Davies: “It is becoming popular in Bangkok because it’s a more sophisticated drink. Not only is it great to enjoy with friends but also to enjoy the delicacies of the alcoholic beverage as well. We see delicate floral aromas, delicate primary fruit aromas, and tropical fruit aromas. Sometimes, it is green apple and nashi pear, the other times

it is white peach and nectarine. In the other spectrum, you get delicate floral aromas like jasmine flower and plum flower. And texturally it works well with Japanese cuisine.”

It is something that Paco Galdeano in Singapore concurs with. “Apart from severely diminishing exports to Taiwan that was once the largest export market, exports are booming to Korea, Hong Kong, China, East Asia and North America on the back of increasing global popularity for Japanese food,” says the head sommelier at Waku Ghin at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, the only outpost of Chef Tetsuya’s acclaimed Sydney restaurant.

Galdeano, who stocks premium sakes such as Jyuyon Dai Sake Mirai Junmai Dai Ginjo, Isojiman Adagio 2011 Junmai Dai Ginjo and Born Wing of Japan Junmai Dai Ginjo (prices starting from SGD 130), says that while sake is a great match for Japanese food, you could also pair some Japanese dishes with great Champagnes, Rieslings or Sauvignon Blancs. “But it can also be paired with French, Italian or even Chinese cuisine. Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, meat extracts and dashi, the basic stock used in all Japanese cooking, are all rich in amino acids and umami – and so is sake. That’s the reason why it pairs so well with many different cuisines, not just Japanese. One time I tried a caviar dish with unpasteurised sake at a very famous Michelin-star restaurant, and it was an explosion of flavours on my palate.”

There are new trends also being introduced to the centuries-old production process. “The biggest surprise during my last trip to the sake breweries in Japan was that the Masuizumi brewery is buying used barrels from Domaine Ramonet in Burgundy to age one of their top sakes,” says Galdeano, adding that they also offer two exclusive sakes, the Masuizumi Platinum Nama and Junmai Dai Ginjo, Isojiman ‘M’ Junmai Dai Ginjo, which list at SGD 500 and SGD 550 respectively. “For the first time in the history of Isojiman, Teraoka-san, the sake maker and owner, has produced a sake for an individual outlet. It is a Junmai Dai Ginjo that’s a blend of three different single plots of Yamadanishki rice from Hyogo, and only 360 bottles of this unique sake are produced every year for Waku Ghin.”

Davies says at Zuma they have a complete list of sakes, with a range of styles and price points to suit everyone – from a 720ml bottle of Gassanryu Koka Honjozo selling for 1,750 baht right up to the Ichinokura Gensho Daiginjo that costs 11,700 baht. They also serve the special Zuma Junmai Ginjo (1,480 baht for 300 ml), produced in Gifu, a prefecture in the south of Honshu. It is fruity and floral, with aromas of green apples and pear, dry and fresh with a creamy texture.

He adds: “Once you learn more about the product and taste more [of it], you become very appreciative of how delicate, textural and refined it is.” •

Sake 101 In general, there are five basic types of sake. The most important thing to understand is that sake is primarily categorised by the degree to which its rice has been polished, rather than by rice variety or the region it is made (as wines are, or by ingredients the way beer is classified). But to complicated things, there are other styles based on what the brewer does with the sake. Several of the terms can refer to one sake such as a Junmai Ginjo Nigori Genshu, which is a roughly filtered, undiluted sake made with rice polished to 50-60 percent, and no alcohol added.

Junmai: This is pure rice wine with no distilled alcohol added. It is just rice, yeast, koji and water. If the label doesn’t say ‘Junmai’, then something has been added to it. Until recently, at least 30 percent of rice used for Junmai sake had to be milled away. But the laws have changed, and Junmai no longer requires a specified milling rate, though the law requires the amount milled away be listed somewhere on the label.

Honjozo: At least 30 percent of rice is polished away and a small amount of brewer’s alcohol is added to draw out the aromas and flavours.

Futsu-shu: Basic sake with no specific designation and the equivalent of table wine. Mostly served hot and can bring on a headache the next day.

Ginjo-shu: A premium sake, it has at least 40 percent of rice polished away and may have alcohol added or not. If labelled ‘Ginjo’, it means distilled alcohol was added, and if it says ‘Junmai Ginjo’, it means no alcohol was added.

Daiginjo-shu: This is ultra-premium sake made with at least 50 percent of rice polished away. If it is prefixed by the word Junma, it means no alcohol was added.

Sake Styles Nama: Fresh unpasteurised sake that has to be refrigerated Genshu: Undiluted or full-strength sake Nigori: Cloudy sake as it has been roughly filtered Koshu: Aged sake

“Once you learn more about the product and taste more [of it], you become very appreciative of how delicate, textural and refined it is” n. 06 BANGKOK