I love a great Pinot Noir or Rogue amber ale as much as anyone (maybeeven more -- I'm a Portland, OR native), but it turns out the Northwest hasmore up its boozy sleeve: The region is also home to some damn good sake. (Turns out our Foodist knew what he was talking about when he calledPortland one of the best drinking towns in the country.)
From their kura (sake brewery) in Forest Grove, OR, Momokawa puts outaward-winning sake, which, they're letting everyone know, pairs as well withfood as wine does. And not just Japanese food. After enjoying a six-coursemenu designed to launch their repackaged line, I know I won't be saving sakefor sushi nights anymore. After tasting pairings featuring everything fromfoie gras with kumquat to gelato and bananas, I was surprised by how goodeverything tasted together. The sakes ranged from dry and floral to creamyand almost citrus-y and were all served slightly chilled as most higherquality sakes are meant to be consumed.
Since I'm new to the whole sake-without-sashimi thing, I'll turn this overto an actual expert -- Momokawa's Vice President of Marketing DeweyWeddington -- for his rules of sake-food pairing:
1. "The most important rule is there are no rules. Don't just pair sake withAsian foods. Try it with anything you would typically pair with wine."
2. "Use wine as your guide. Some of the same principles of wine and beerpairings apply, so it's a safe bet to pair dry sakes with light foods thatgo well with white wines; medium, floral sakes with the heavy foods youoften serve with reds; and creamy, thick, unfiltered sake (known as nigori)with spicier foods that typically beg for beer."
3. "Don't always follow Rule #2. Surprising combinations often yieldtranscendent combinations. Just start tasting different sakes with differentfoods and find what you like."
If that sounds a little intimidating, start with Weddington's favoritecombinations: a floral, medium bodied sake (like the Murai Family Sugidama)with asparagus; sweet, heavy sake (like the Yoshinogawa Daiginjo) withclams, and cold nigori (like the Momokawa Organic Nigori) with darkchocolate.
Source: bon appétit
