Sakesmadewithage-oldJapanese
methodsareprovingpopular
withAustraliansommeliersand
drinkers, writesMAX ALLEN.
Old times’ sake
Y
ukinoOchiaiis talkingaboutumami,thefifthbasic
tasteaftersweet,sour,saltyandbitter.Shedescribes
umamias the“double-bass”oftheflavourorchestra:a
deepsenseofsavourydeliciousnessonthetongue.But
she’snottalkingaboutthefoodofJapan.She’stalkingaboutthe
experienceofdrinkingsakemadeusingage-oldbrewingmethods.
Ochiaiis a Sydney-basedsakeimporterandinternational
sakejudge.In2017,shewasnamedAustralia’sfirstfemaleSake
Samurai,thehighesthonourbestowedbytheJapanSakeBrewers
Association,forherworkinsakeeducationandpromotion.The
perfectperson,then,toshareinsightsintothesmallnumber
ofsakesstillmadeinJapanusingthetraditionalkimotoand
yamahaiprocessesofcreatinga starterculture.
“Chefslovekimotoandyamahai,”saysOchiai.“They
lovehowwellthesesakesgowithfood,becauseofthehigher
acidityandearthierflavours.Andhigherumami.”
Sakeis brewedusingrice,water,yeastandkoji,anaspergillus
mould culture that converts the starch in the rice into fermentableFromtopleft:KenbishiKuromatsu
fromDejavuSakeCo,Senbazuru
KimotoJunmaifromSakeshop,Mioya
ShuzoYuhoYamaoroshifromBlack
MarketSake,TengumaiIshikawa
YamahaiJikomiJunmaifromDejavu
SakeCo,andSugiiShuzoSuginishiki
from Black Market Sake.