Los Angeles Time - 08.08.2019

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Courtney Kaplan talks about sake the way most people talk about their children: She’s giddy with admiration, full of

stories and eager to share. Kaplan, who once was responsible for the sake selection at wine shop Domaine L.A., is the co-owner of Japanese

izakaya Tsubaki and the new Ototo sake bar and restaurant, both in Echo Park. The latter is where you’ll find the most comprehensive sake list

in Los Angeles. Seated at a table at Ototo on a recent afternoon, Kaplan helped me put together a complete guide to the Japanese rice wine.

Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about the stuff, plus what to buy and where to find it.

What is sake and how is it made?

Sake is a brewed alcoholic beverage made through a process called
multiple parallel fermentation. It is the only drink made this way.
The main ingredients are sake rice, a rice that has a much larger and
starchier center than table rice; water; and koji, a fungus that aids in
fermentation and turns the starch in the rice into sugar.

The first step is to polish

the rice. Breweries use

large machines that polish

away the exterior of the grain,

mostly doing away with the

proteins and fats to get to the

starch in the rice. The more

you polish away, the more

what you end up with is pure

starch. Most believe this

leads to a cleaner product.

The polished rice is

steamed. Some is sepa-

rated to be mixed with the koji

and some is reserved for the

brewing process. The rice for

the koji goes into a humidity-

and temperature-controlled

room where it is inoculated

with the koji. This allows the

koji to grow and feed off the

starch in the rice and convert

it to sugar, not alcohol.

A mash is formed using the

steamed rice, water and koji,

along with added yeast and

lactic acid. The lactic acid is

there to protect the mash

from bacteria and whatever

else might grow in the mash.

Then the mixture goes

into a tank and the fol-

lowing are added in three

increments: rice, water and

koji. This is the multiple

parallel fermentation: Koji

rice already has its starch

converted to sugar, which

gets fermented into alcohol

by the yeast. Meanwhile, the

koji is turning the regular

steamed rice in the mix into

sugar. And the yeast is turn-

ing that sugar into alcohol.

All of this happens at the

same time, in the same vessel,

hence the name “multiple

parallel fermentation.” This

process typically takes

around two to four weeks

depending on how the starter

is formed.

All you need to know about sake

BYJENNHARRIS>>>

The different

categories of sake

Junmai

The word translates to “pure

rice.” It refers to sake made

with water, koji, yeast and

rice. There is no legally de-

fined polishing requirement

for junmai.

Honjozo

A small amount of distilled

alcohol is added to junmai

sake. The purpose is not to

raise the alcohol percentage

but often one of the following

reasons: to stretch a short

rice crop, to lighten up the

texture/flavor of the starchy,

rich rice, or to bring out cer-

tain aromatics. There is often

a misconception that honjozo

is lower quality when really

it’s delicious, sessionable and

refreshing.

Junmai Ginjo

The distinction refers to the

amount of rice that is pol-

ished away before the brew-

ing process begins. Ginjo

refers to rice that has be-

tween 50% and 60% of each

grain remaining. This style

can be a little more aromatic

and is a nice entry point for

sake beginners.

Ginjo

Rice that is polished to a

ginjolevel with distilled

alcohol added.

Junmai Daiginjo

This style includes sake made

with 50% or less of each grain

remaining. This is often the

most prestigious and expen-

sive, with brewers throwing/

polishing away half the prod-

uct. It can be very aromatic

with a richness in texture due

to the pure starch. This style

can be difficult to pair with

food.

Daiginjo

Rice that is polished to a

daiginjolevel with distilled

alcohol added.

Nigori

This style of sake is often

called unfiltered but it’s actu-

ally lightly filtered, which

gives the sake a cloudy ap-

pearance. Some can have

sediment and be super

creamy. They tend to be a

little sweeter due to the exist-

ence of rice solids and unfer-

mented long-chain sugars.

Nama

The term means raw and

refers to sake that is unpas-

teurized or pasteurized a

single time. Pasteurization

kills off any yeast or bacteria

in the sake. Most sake is

pasteurized twice. Not pas-

teurizing preserves some

intensity of aromatics and

more acidity. The increased

vibrancy can connect with

people who drink certain

styles of white wine. These

sakes are usually released as

seasonal, limited-edition

products.

Kimoto

This style includes sake made

using the oldest method of

making sake, called the Ki-

moto process. Instead of

adding lactic acid and com-

mercial yeast, long poles or

feet are used to stomp the

rice, koji and water together

in order to dissolve the rice.

This activates the natural

yeast in the environment to

build a starter, and lactic acid

naturally forms in the mash.

The end result is a rich sake

with a creamy texture.

Yamahai

Near the turn of the 20th

century, a researcher at the

National Institute for Brew-

ing Studies in Japan figured

out that if you raise the tem-

perature and let the rice, koji

and water hang out, the rice

will dissolve on its own.

Yamahai sake is typically

gamy, earthy and nutty, and

often compared to the funky

flavors and acidity of natural

wine. Illustrations ByJade Cuevas

Los Angeles Times

If you like this wine, you’ll like this sake

Sauvignon Blanc

Muscadet
or Chablis

Big red wine

Sour beer
or natural wine

Off-dry German
Riesling

Chardonnay

Kaiun junmaiginjofrom

Suyaka, because it’s aromatic

with passion fruit notes but

has a tropical, grassy green

thing going on.

Taka Tokubetsu junmai,

because it’s crisp, dry and

minerally with a water source

that has a lot of limestone

influence.

Sempuku, because it is made

with an heirloom rice called

Shinriki using the Kimoto

method. It’s also cask-

strength and not diluted. It’s

big, rich and earthy, with a

cocoa powder quality to it.

Souden, made using the

yamahaimethod. It’s tangy

but with an umami funk

underneath and a lactic

tartness.

Kamoizumi Kome Kome,

because it’s bright and just a

tad sweet.

Urakasumi honjozoGenshu,

because it has a fuller body

with creaminess and a little

smokiness.

Importers to know

These are names you can look

for on the back of the bottle

and be confident that what

you’re buying is good stuff.

World Sake Imports

It works mostly with craft

breweries and has a very

strenuous selection process.

It also often gives an English

name to the bottling as well.

Vine Connections

It has an impressive portfolio

with a variety of high-quality

sake from smaller breweries.

Its sakes tend to be rustic

with personality.

Wine of Japan

It doesn’t have any big

marquee names, but it takes

really good care of its prod-

uct. The sakes are refriger-

ated from the moment they

leave the brewery to the

moment they arrive at the

restaurant door.

Regions in Japan

and different

styles of sake

The quality of the water

contributes to different re-

gions being known for differ-

ent styles of sake. And most

regions use local water. Local

cuisine also influences the

different styles. As you move

from north to west, the sake

gets sweeter and richer.

Northeastern Japan is known

for its lighter, drier sake.

Hiroshima

The area has soft water that

is low in mineral content, so

the sakes from this area tend

to be softer, more aromatic,

gentler and more elegant.

Soft water is more appropri-

ate for brewing things like

ginjoand daiginjo.

Ishikawa

The hard water in this region

makes the sake more muscu-

lar, savory and umami-rich. A

lot of Yamahai technique is

used in this region. That

combined with the hard water

creates a burly style of sake.

Gifu

This region is known for its

heavy, meat-centric cuisine.

The sake here tends to be

more umami-driven to com-

plement the meat.

Niigata

Known as the Napa of the

sake world, Niigata is home to

many well-known, high-

producing breweries. The

region started to make its

signature light, crisp and dry

sake in the 1970s.

Hokkaido

The region is known for its

dry sake.

Wakayama

Breweries in this region tend

to make richer styles with

more umami and sweetness.

Akitaand Yamagata

Both areas are known for

their clean, pristine, aromatic

sake.

Kyoto

The soft water in Kyoto cre-

ates a more delicate style of

sake, which pairs well with

the region’s subtle cuisine.

Hyogo

This region, near Kobe, is

where most of the really good

Yamada Nishiki rice is grown.

The sake produced here tends

to be dry, crisp and fresh.

Kyushu

The prefecture is known for

its heavy tonkotsuramen and

produces an umami-rich sake

to match.

Shizuoka

Home to Mount Fuji, Shizu-

oka is known for its soft,

elegant, pretty style of sake.

Where to buy

Domaine L.A.

You can order individual

bottles here (take a photo of a

bottle you like from dinner/

elsewhere and bring it in), not

just by the case.

6801 Melrose Ave., Los Ange-

les, (323) 932-0280,

domainela.com

True Sake in San Francisco

It’s the best store on the West

Coast and will ship to you

overnight, with the exception

of the nama sakes.

560 Hayes St., San Francisco,

(415) 355-9555, truesake.com

John and Pete’s Fine Wine

and Spirits

621 N. La Cienega Blvd., West

Hollywood (310) 657-3080,

johnandpetes.com

Tokyo Central market chain

This chain is putting some

effort into it but stores usu-

ally only have the bigger

brands.

Multiple locations.

tokyocentral.com

Words to know

so you can get

what you want

Try to stay away from saying

things like dry vs. sweet.

Determine if you’d like some-

thing:

Fruity, floral or

aromatic.

OR

Earthy, umami,

savory and rich.

OR

Crisp, clean,

minerally and fresh.

Think about what other things

you like to drink, including

wine, beer and liquor, to give

sommeliers a sense of what

type of sake you might like.

Hot vs. cold

A lot of restaurants use the

cheap stuff and heat it up.

But real warm sake is heated

properly in a water bath and

brewed with the intention of

being served warm. Sake can

be more expressive if warmed

to the ideal heat level: There

is nurukan(lukewarm),

hitohadakan(translated as

human-skin temperature,

around 95 degrees) and

atsukan(actually warm).

Daiginjoand ginjoare

mostly served cold to pre-

serve the delicate aromatics.

Yamahaiand kimotosakes

that have a little more umami

and sweetness do well warm.

Good importers will put

preferred serving tempera-

tures on the bottles.

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