Saké 101
- Chapter 1: What is Saké?
- Chapter 2: How is Saké Made?
- Chapter 3: Saké Vocabulary
- Chapter 4: Types of Saké
- Chapter 5: How to Serve Saké
- Chapter 6: Tasting Saké
- Chapter 7: Uncommon Pairs
Chapter 1: What is Saké?
Saké is a 6,800 year old beverage that is made from four main ingredients: rice, water, yeast and koji (an enzyme that converts starch into sugar, and imparts distinct and wonderful flavor). An all-natural rice-based fermented alcoholic beverage, saké is essentially brewed like beer but the end product is served like wine, with tasting characteristics and alcohol content very similar to wine. Americans are increasingly viewing saké as another white wine, different from chardonnay, pinot gris, riesling, etc., but also having notable similarities.
There are several styles of saké, from dry to sweet, from delicate to robust, just as there are different styles of white grape based wines. Saké pairs well with fish, chicken, pasta, and pork. Sweeter saké (nigori, of which Momokawa's Pearl is an example) is a great foil for spicy food and is wonderful with desserts, especially berries and chocolate. Robust sakés, such Momokawa's"G" (genshu) have sufficient flavor and body to stand up to light beef dishes. Like a big chardonnay, genshu can be thought of as a red wine masquerading as a white. Today there is an increasing amount of saké being served in non-Asian restaurants, particularly those focused on high quality, fresh local cuisine. Saké is no longer just for sushi.
Saké-making implements have been discovered in the Yangtze River Valley in China dating back to 4800 BC. This is about the time that nomadic man settled down. One theory holds that the reason settled down was to grow rice so he could enjoy saké on a regular basis.<
There are over 14,000 different sakés produced by 1800 sakéries worldwide, primarily in Japan. In the United States there are about 100 different sakés produced by 5 sakéries. Four of the sakéries are in California and one, SakéOne, is in Oregon.
While saké was actually first made in China, it was later dramatically improved in Japan. Today saké is made in many countries around the world such as the United States, Brazil, Australia, Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan.
Worldwide, one out of three glasses of wine consumed is saké. In the United States, where saké consumption doubled since 1998, one out of one hundred and fifty glasses of wine is saké. Saké consumption in America is growing five times as fast as wine consumption with the sales growth of high quality United States made junmai ginjo saké and Japanese sakés leading the way. More and more, we drink saké with American as well as Japanese and Pacific Rim cuisine.
