If you’re like me – and why should you be? – you’ve probably spent a lot of time outdoors, reading ancient Chinese and Japanese texts in translation while sipping on rough futsu sake from a choko. Or perhaps you’ve come to sake through slamming such conglomerations as saketinis or sake bombs. Either way, you might have wondered at some point – what is this stuff?

            In Japanese, sake (or o-sake) refers to any alcoholic beverage. In English the term has come to mean an alcoholic beverage originating in Japan (some would argue China) made from a special high starch content rice, water, and a type of mold called kōji.

            Though often thought of as rice wine, sake is made using a brewing process more characteristic of beer than wine. Instead of the natural sugar in grapes being converted into alcohol as with wine, the alcohol in sake is converted from starch as it is in beer. But unlike beer which goes through a two-step conversion (starch to sugar, sugar to alcohol), with sake the two steps occur simultaneously through a process known as multiple parallel fermentation.

            Historically, the making of sake dates from the third century BCE and beyond when it was made in a style called mouth chewed sake.  A person would chew rice, chestnuts, millet and acorns and spit the mixture into a tub and the enzymes from the saliva converted the starch to sugar. Sake, as we know it, is first mentioned in the 3^rd century CE when it was used during religious ceremonies to induce a spiritual high.

            It was the alcoholic beverage of choice in Japan until the 1960s when beer consumption took over. Oddly enough, this was the time when world consumption increased as did the quality of the sake itself. The rough or futsu sake that most of us grew up on is seeing a decline while the various premium styles now make up over half of sake consumption in the U.S.

            Although there are traditional vessels (such as the choko, sakazuki, or masu) to serve sake, most experts now agree that a wine glass is best. Rough sake may be served chilled, at room temperature or heated as the drinker prefers (though food or seasonal weather may also come into the equation). Premium sake, however, should never be heated because it would dissipate the aromas and flavors.

            Sake is all about the balance of sweetness and acidity. It pairs very well with many types of food. Because of its acidity, sake can pair well with deep-fried tempura dishes and is very popular with sushi. More and more we are seeing sake paired with non-Asian cuisine, too – Brazilian, Italian, French, and Mexican, not to mention Cajun, Creole and BBQ.

            Sake should be stored in a cool, dark place and is ideally best when consumed within 2 – 3 hours after opening. If you don’t finish it in this time, seal the top and put it in the refrigerator. Here it will keep in near-excellent condition for about two days. Actually, it will keep for two or three weeks, but the quality will diminish over time.

            Another benefit that some premium producers are quick to advertise is that super-refined quality sake will give you “no morning-after hangover after drinking."            October 1^st is the official Sake Day in Japan. We may be a few days late but why not raise a glass of a good junmai sake to celebrate with dinner tonight?

Bill Stobbs, West Coast Wine Supervisor