Sunflower Club Monthly Archives – Page 2 – Sunflower Sake

Jun 14, 2024

SEPTEMBER 2023: Tedorigawa

This month’s club looks at two different interpretations of elegance under the Yoshida Shuzo banner. Tedorigawa Daiginjo Iki na Onna, which translates roughly to “Lady Luck,” is an interpretation of sake elegance that dates from the previous Yoshida generation. I’ve been lucky to have Master Sommeliers and MS candidates visit my shop, and Iki na Onna captures their sense of ephemeral elegance as only the best burgundy, or daiginjo, can. Representing modern elegance is Yoshidagura “U” Junmai Yamahai “Unique,” which (in Japan) falls under the brewery’s Yoshidagura brand, not its more famous Tedorigawa brand. Yoshidagura (Yoshida = family name, gura = brewery) is distinct from Tedorigawa in housing Yasu and his team’s innovations. Tedorigawa is the classics, Yoshidagura is the new.

Jun 14, 2024

NOVEMBER 23: Celebratory Feasts (Tsuchida Kimoto & Tsukinokatsura Iwai)

It’s undeniable: Portland is getting colder, wetter, and cozier by the day. I went to the Japanese Garden a week ago and couldn’t help but photograph the same trees I’ve captured countless times before. At the shop, I turn on...

Jun 14, 2024

MAY 24: The Kamoizumi Story

May 2024, we used a one-page comic to highlight Kidoizumi Shuzo & the inaugural arrival of AFS, as well as a fresh batch of Hakugyokko, a Hyogo Yamadanishiki Junmai Ginjo. Kidoizumi's unique ko-on (hot) Yamahai method is the signature of their rich, full bodied, tart and ageable house style. The intensity of flavor, structure and umami make Kidoizumi a favorite at Tokyo pairing institutions such as Eureka and Maen, even serving as the basis for barrel-aged variations (Afruge series), back vintage releases and single-tank selections. Common wisdom suggests that Kidoizumi is for experienced sake drinkers only, but I've found that it makes a stunning red carpet entrance for any skeptic, newbie, gastronome...it's all but guaranteed to knock the taster off their chair, and make them rethink all that they thought they knew.
Sake does not have to be light, clean, water-like, dry, or otherwise mild mannered in any way. It can be 100% chair-throwing, maximum volume, Lisa Frank, metal!

Apr 29, 2024

JUNE 2023: All About Kirinzan

June 2023, we used a one-page comic to highlight a brand-new arrival to Oregon: the seasonal junmai ginjo nama, Potari Potari Blue, as well as its mellow, perfectly chill cousin: Kirinzan Classic Futsushu. Two very different sake, one badass brewery. Kirinzan's vision and philosophy, as well as its excellent sake, are well worth supporting. We're big fans of Kirinzan over here at Sunflower, and we hope you are, too!

Apr 29, 2024

JULY 23: The US Import Pathway: How Sake Gets from Japan to You

Sourcing sake is a complicated process. Alcohol is highly regulated, and the path from brewery to customer is complex: in all but one state, intermediary importers are required. I can't import even if I wanted to! Tariffs, fees, label review, countless hands to pass through. In July 2023, we used a comic to illustrate this process and its importance.