Wednesday Lessons #28: Nigori
WEDNESDAY LESSONS #28: NIGORI 2/21/2024
SAKE 1
SHIRAKAWAGO Junmai Ginjo Sasanigori Bottle (720ml): $17-40
Gifu, Japan Rice: Hidahomare Polishing: 60% Yeast: #7 SMV: 1.5, ABV 15% Thickness: 5/10
Founded in 1837, Miwa Shuzo is located in Ogaki City, known as the City of Water, in Gifu Prefecture. Their Shirakawago brand was born from a request by the Mayor of Shirakawa Village, a UNESCO Heritage site, to produce doburoku: a traditional, viscous cloudy sake for use in the Historic village doburoku festival, a Shinto harvest festival. Shirakawago Sasanigori Junmai Ginjo was then conceived as a collaboration between Miwa Shuzo and its exporter to produce a mellow and light- bodied nigori sake with wide versatility. It is made with Hidahomare rice, a varietal native to the mountains of Gifu and named for the mountain region Hida, famed for Hida- Takayama village. To produce this usunigori, filtered sake is carefully blended with Moromi (sake mash) to produce a precise level of particulate.
SAKE 2
KATAFUNE Junmai Usunigori Bottle (720ml): $41
Niigata, Japan Rice: Koshitanrei, Koshiibuki Polishing: 65% Yeast: 1801 SMV: -11, acidity 1.7, ABV: 15.5% Thickness: 4/10
A deeply delicious, addictive and full-flavored usunigori, with slightly higher than usual acidity to balance the ricey sweetness and make the overall impression utterly drinkable-- never cloying. Notes of velvety coconut milk, French vanilla, Meyer lemon, yellow nectarine, softly whipped meringue, and a texture that takes me to melty milk chocolate. The finish is acid- sharp and juicy, reading barely off-dry despite a -11 SMV. The use of Niigata-specific Koshitanrei and Koshiibuki rice is a quality decision as the Koshitanrei was bred specifically for fuller bodied junmai daiginjo. Although this rice is only polished to 65%, the use of an aromatic yeast and clean, precise actions in the brewery lead to a style that is more refined than one might expect at 65%
SAKE 3
SHIRAFUJI “Suimei” Junmai Nama Genshu Nigori Bottle (500ml): $42
Woodinville, WA Rice: Yamadanishiki (AR) Polishing: 60% Yeast: #9 ABV: 17-18% Thickness: 7/10
This is one of the first releases of the year from Woodinville brewery Shirafuji, which originated in Fukushima 350 years ago. Displaced by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disastger, Shirafuji chose to reestablish their brewery in the Seattle area noting climate and cultural similarities to their home and its neighboring port city, Sendai. “Naturally carbonated, fresh nigorizake has a refreshing, dry taste. Since the yeast is still alive in the bottle, the harmony between the natural carbonation produced by the yeast and the mildness of the rice is very unique. It is an unusual sake that changes in taste every day. It is a sake that can only be made in limited quantities from a single vat. The yeast is alive. The period during which the yeast can be enjoyed is fleeting. Please drink it up as soon as possible.”
SAKE 4
MATSUNOTSUKASA “Cuvee Angels Wing” Sparkling Bottle (720ml): $53
Shiga, Japan Rice: Yamadanishiki Polishing: 60% Yeast: #10. SMV: 1.0, acidity 1.0 ABV: 16.2% Thickness: 1/10
Matsuse Sake Brewery has been owned and run by the same family since the 1850s, now in their 6th generation. Even in Japan, their sake is not easy to find as they are very selective about who sells it. Their sake-making is traditional but very precise and clean, just handcrafting throughout and no charcoal filtering. Most of the rice they grow and use is raised without using any chemical agents or fertilizers. This lightly effervescent sake made sparkling by adding roughly filtered moromi to clear sake just before bottling. The nigori-- a solution of yeast, rice particulate, sake, and live koji-- causes the fermentation to continue under the closed cap, creating gas. This is a US-exclusive collab with Bay Area-based importer & wine/ sake retailer Alex Bernardo of Vineyard Gate in Millbrae, CA.
SAKE 5
HEIWA SHUZO “Icho no Daku” ‘Junmai’ Doburoku Bottle (720ml): $34
Wakayama, Japan Rice: Nikomaru Polishing: 90% ABV: 9% Light pasteurization Thickness: 8/10
In Tokyo, Heiwa Shuzo has a doburoku bar where you can taste not only this plain and simple version-- made in the back kitchen-- but also different versions with red bean, chocolate, herbs, and so on, alongside pairings. Doburoku, farmers’ style sake, is the historic predecessor to sake but isn’t legally considered sake. As a result it isn’t subject to sake rules, allowing more creativity.
SAKE 6 NISHINOMON YOSHINOYA Yuzu Amazake, Nonalcoholic NFS - Nagano City Nagano, Japan Ing: rice, koji, water, yuzu Thickness: 7/10
To make your own amazake, mix steamed rice, rice koji and water and keep warm for 8-12 hours in a rice cooker, yogurt cooker, instant pot, water bath or similar, maintaining 50-60C or 125-135F. Once ready, it will be sweet and soft. Blend, add flavors, or leave as is. Serve on March 3 for Hina Matsuri!
Sunflower Sake is a retail shop, tasting room, and educational center in Portland, Oregon, focusing on craft sake from around the world. Sunflower ships year-round and offers affordable, biweekly Wednesday sake classes. Thank you so much for joining us tonight!
107 SE Washington St. #121, PDX, OR 97214 web: www.sunflowersake.com IG: @sunflowersake email: hello@sunflowersake.com
Printed on the sheet as #28; sequenced here by date.
