Just a few facts, a little information for anyone interested in Sake...
--Sake is often called the "Drink of the Gods" by the Japanese and is produced from rice, water, koji spores and specially selected yeasts.
--Sake is brewed like beer but drinks like a wine, and has 15-16% alcohol per volume (apv).
--Premium sake is to regular sake what Single Malt Scotch is to the blends.
--Premium sake is brewed by family craftsman rather than large industrial manufacturers, and is made by hand rather than machine.
--Premium sake is gluten-free, sulfite free and kosher.
--Sake can be served chilled or warm, at body temperature, and not piping hot, as heat destroys the flavor.
Levels of Sake
Junmai-shu --highest grade of sake made with pure rice and uses less than 70% polished rice. It ends up heavier and tasting fuller than other sake.
Honjozo-shu--has a small amount of ethyl alcohol added during the final stages. Water is added later to keep the alcohol content the same. It's lighter and drier than others and can be served warm.
Ginjo-shu--uses 60% polished rice and is fermented even longer than Junmai, which results in a complex and delicate flavor.
Daiginjo-shu--like Ginjo but the rice is polished to 50% of the original size and takes even longer to make.
Futsuu-shu is any sake that doesn't fit into one of the other categories.
Oklahoma gets a good deal of Futsuu, but the Premium Ginjo is rising in popularity, and is starting to be made available.
Class dismissed!
Info comes from Vine Connections, wineintro.com, and The Sake Handbook.
No comments:
Post a Comment