On our recent trip to Japan we did a Sake tasting course in Kyoto. I don’t really drink Sake other than when I’m in Japan, so I really had no idea. My knowledge ended at there was hot sake and cold sake. I knew I liked some of them more than others, but I had no idea why. So this course was amazing! We learnt heaps about Sake, and what struck me about it was how many similarities there are to wine. So I thought I would share some of the tips about Sake I learnt which I felt really helped me understand sake, and make it easier to pick one I liked.
Even though most bottles of Sake you’ll find have labels covered in kanji which you can’t read, I liken trying to pick a Sake when you don’t know what you’re looking for to trying to pick a wine when you have no idea. Although the wine labels might not be in a different language, you still don’t understand them if you don’t know what to look for! Sake can be confusing, especially with the language barrier. But once you know what you are looking for, and which Sake you like, it opens up a whole new world of enjoyment.
For those who don’t know, Sake is an alcohol made from rice, not grapes. It will sometimes have alcohol added, and it has a range of different flavours to try. The Japanese normally sip it out of Sake cups which are tiny, and it comes out either in a bottle or carafe. It can also be served hot or cold depending on what you like!
So let’s jump into my five favourite facts I learnt about Sake in our Sake Tasting Course!
Any percentage you see on the bottle is not the alcohol content
Sometimes the only thing you’ll be able to read on the Sake label is a number and a percentage. It’s easy to think that this is the alcohol content of the Sake as this is what we are used to seeing on a bottle. This is where people get confused about how alcoholic Sake is because this percentage can be upward of 70%, sometimes even 100%! This paired with usually drinking Sake out of a shot-sized glass makes you think it is going to be highly alcoholic!
However, Sake is actually no more alcoholic than wine! They just drink it in smaller glasses than we would a wine. So you don’t need to feel bad about drinking a couple of glasses to yourself!
So what does the percentage mean? Well, this actually denotes something called rice polishing. Sake producers will polish the rice to remove some of the starch before brewing the Sake to get different flavours. The higher the percentage, the less the rice has been polished. So those with a higher percentage will tend to have a rice flavour to them, whereas those with a lower percentage will have fruitier, lighter flavours. You can use this percentage to help you determine what the type of Sake is without being able to read the Kanji!
Unfortunately, those with higher percentages of rice polishing will usually be more expensive as they get less yield for the same amount of rice (and sake rice is quite expensive). So you’ll find most tourist restaurants which have one choice of Sake will go for those upward of 70%.
Each Sake has its own tasting notes, much like wine
One of the things that tricked me up in understanding sake is determining flavours. Having really only drunk hot or cold Sake, I didn’t realise just how complex tasting Sake was. I also didn’t know how to tell them apart or why I preferred some to others. As it turns out, there is so much involved in tasting Sake!
What I was most surprised by was that tasting Sake is so similar to tasting wine! Each Sake has it’s own flavour profile which you can smell in the aroma and also in the taste. We tried many Sakes in the tasting, and they ranged from light and fruity flavours like pineapple and melon to hay and steamed rice!
Much like wine, there are heavy and light sakes, and they each have different flavour profiles. A light Sake will have fruitier flavours, whilst a heavy Sake will have earthier flavours like rice and hay. This reminds me of how oaked wines have toasty flavours, and unoaked wines have fruitier flavours!
Different types of Sake go well with different foods
Part of the Sake tasting experience was trying varieties of Sake with different foods. This part of the class reminded me so much of learning about food and wine pairings with wine! Before this, I never would have thought about drinking different Sakes with different food, but it makes so much sense now!
For example, lighter Sakes with fruitier flavours are best enjoyed with light food or appetizers. These are the Sakes that you should be enjoying before a meal, particularly as they are more expensive. However, heavier Sakes are best enjoyed with a Japanese meal and heavier flavours. This is why these heavier Sakes are served in so many restaurants as they go best with meals! It’s not just about the price after all.
If you are looking to pair Sake with meals, think of it like wine. Champagne and Rose typically goes best with lighter meals or before dinner. This is the lightest style of Sake with less than 50% rice polishing. A white wine will go with lighter style meat or meals. This is Sake with less than 60% rice polishing. Over 70% rice polishing goes with a proper meal, just like red wine!
You can get different varieties of Sake, but normally only in Japan
If you weren’t confused already when trying to understand Sake, there are also many varieties, just like with wine! Unfortunately, most of these are only available in Japan. This is because a lot of these varieties are produced by not pasteurising the Sake. This is not something that is allowed in Australia, so you can often only find it in Japan.
Another version of Sake is undiluted, and some are even produced in a cloudy style! These styles are white and sometimes even have a sparkling attribute to them. Sort of like a cloudy sparkling wine. They are definitely different, but worth trying!
Sake can also be aged. Aged Sake goes golden in colour and takes on more toffee characteristics, similar to fortified wine. I can tell you from experience that this is delicious, especially when you pour it over ice cream! You can also pair it with cream cheese and create a cheesecake in your mouth! Don’t knock it until you try it!
Sake is not actually the name of the drink
Finally and most difficult to grasp when understanding Sake, is that we all call it the wrong thing! In Japanese, Sake actually means ‘alcohol’. You’ll usually find it written on most alcoholic beverages in Japan. So when you ask for a Sake, you are actually just asking for alcohol. Lucky for us, the Japanese usually know what a Westerner is asking for when they say Sake, so you can still use it for the drink you know it as!
If you want to use the correct term, it is actually just called a Japanese fermented rice beverage. Yep, doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, does it? But if you use the Japanese term, you might have more luck! So next time you want Sake, call it Nihonshu! This is the right term for this beverage, and using it will mean there’s no room for confusion. Who knows, you might get some kudos with the locals!
So there you have some facts to help you understand Sake
So there you have it. I hope these five tips have provided some insight to help you understand Sake. I know this Sake Experience really helped me to understand it more. It was so helpful to have this knowledge throughout Japan. It meant we could pick Sake we knew we would enjoy, and even impress some of the locals while we were at it!
I was blown away by how similar Sake was to wine, and I feel like this helped me understand it even more. Having just a little extra knowledge about it unlocks a whole new world to discover! Now I can’t wait to find a bottle store that stocks it so I can drink more Sake back home!
If you are heading to Japan and want to do the same experience, you can find it on AirBnB here! I highly recommend it, and no I wasn’t paid to say that!
