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Sake is known by most Americans as the warm drink served at the local slice-and-dice - not very tasty, but with a potent punch. Sake is actually a very diverse set of rice wines, dating from the 3rd century.
Sake was first called kuchikami no sake, which meant ‘chewing in the mouth sake’. The whole village would gather to chew up the rice, chestnuts and millets and then spit it into a tub to ferment. This formed part of the Shinto festivals of fertility.
Sake is brewed for around a month, and then aged for around six more. It should be consumed shortly after purchase, but can last up to a year. It should be refrigerated. Sake typically has around 15% to 17% alcohol, and is an almost transparent color. Some can be light amber or gold.
Sake has a wide range of tastes, but most taste of flowers and of course a rice flavor. It can be delicate or powerful. The ‘impact’ of sake is calle kuchi-atari. It can be very sweet or dry, depending on the density of the sake.
The complexity of sake is called oku-bukai. Like wine, a sake can be earthy - this is called koku ga aru. The ‘aftertaste’ of a sake is called its tail.
Sake can be served both warm and cold. Traditionally, summer sakes are served chilled, while winter sakes are served, as James Bond knows, around body temperature. It should never be served piping hot.
Sake Terms
Koji is a steamed rice that has been cultivated with "koji-kin" - the koji mold. The mold provides enzymes which create sugars for fermentation. This molding process is key to sake creation.
Nihonshu-do - the sake meter value, measures the density of sake relative to water. It indicates the dryness or sweetness of the sake. Other factors also influence the flavor of sake - temperature, water type, etc.
Nigori-zaake - unfiltered sake.
Seishu - the legal name for sake.
Namazake is not pasteurized, so it should always be stored chilled. It has a very fresh flavor.
Jizake - non-mass-produced sake
