There are about 60 different types of
officially designated sake rice, with an occasional new one added to this list,”
Gaunter says. “New varieties are sometimes created by crossbreeding.”The
size of the rice matters, too. Lower-end premium sake uses rice that has only
been polished down to about 70 percent of its original size, rather than 50
percent to 60 percent, like higher-end sake; this makes the production less
labor-intensive and therefore cheaper. Smaller rice results in fewer
impurities. Water for the brewing process also is important. The water in the
Nada region of the city of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture is, according to Gaunter,
“so good it has been nicknamed Miya-mizu, or shrine water.” But as with
rice, water does not define first-rate sake. The water simply has to be pure.
Excellent sake can be found from many regions of Japan, including the
prefectures of Kyoto, Niigata, Akita, Hiroshima and Fukushima. Toward the end
of World War II, when shortages were rampant, small amounts of distilled alcohol
were added at the end of the brewing process to increase yield. Today, some
brewers continue this practice.
CognoSake
Developing a palate and learning the sake classification system
will help a buyer make informed choices. “Niigata sake is clean and refined,”
Gaunter states in The Sake Handbook, “and perhaps too commonly is used by some
people as a yardstick for all sake.” In fact, Manotsuru Gold Medal Daiginjo, a
sake produced by the Obata brewery in Niigata, won the top gold medal award
three straight years in Japan’s government-sponsored national sake competition,
and its Manotsuru Daiginjo is served to first-class passengers on Air France
between Tokyo and Paris.
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