What is sake?
In the Western world, the name sake is used to describe a Japanese rice wine, which typically contains between 15 and 20 volume percent alcohol. In Japan, the word sake actually refers to alcoholic beverages of all kind – the type of rice wine that we call sake carries the name Nihonshu or Seishu in Japanese.
The history of sake
Historians don’t agree on when sake was produced the first time. The only thing that’s clear: Sake has a long history and goes at least back to the 3rd century BC. During this time, the rice was chewed by girls who spit it into jars where it started fermenting. The result was more similar to pulp than it was to wine and contained only a low amount of alcohol. The discovery of fungal cultures in the 5th century rendered the chewing process superfluous – the rice could now be fermented simply by adding fungi.
Between the 5th and the 10th century, sake was mostly used for religious ceremonies, rituals and special festivities. Until this point in time, sake was almost exclusively produced by the state. It took until the beginning of the 10th century until temples and shrines started producing sake as well.
The oldest sake producers that still exist today date back to the 16th and 17th century.
How is sake produced?
Besides the quality of the water and the type of rice, the grade of polishing plays a bog role for the quality of the rice. To prepare the rice for fermentation, the rice grains are polished first and the outer bran layers are removed. After the polishing, the rice is washed and soaked in water.
Now, a part of the rice is processes to create “kōji”. To do this, a mold fungus is added that causes the conversion of starch into glucose. After about 36 – 48 hours, the kōji is combined with rice, water, lactic acid and yeast and stored in a tank to create a starter culture. About two weeks later, rice, water and kōji are blended together – the fermentation can begin. When fermentation has finished, the sake matures between six and twelve months in tanks.
What special sake brands are there?
The most popular sake brands include Kokuryu, Dassai, Hakushika, Juyondai and Gekkeikan.
Sake at Gustero
At Gustero, you will find high-quality Japanese sake from established brands. We expand our selection constantly! Browse our assortment now and try one of our Japanese rice wines – for example, the Hakushika Junmai Ginjo or the Dassai Sake 23 Junmai Daiginjo!
