Sakaya NYC Blog

The more familiar you become with sake, the more you come to find how many different approaches there are to making it.  While brewing a beverage from rice, water, yeast, and koji may seem relatively straightforward, there are an unfathomable number of variations on the basic method (if there is such a thing) used by brewers to create their own unique sake.  To add to your experience we’ve scheduled a variety of sake, each with its own “recipe” and story behind it.  Please join us to taste them and hear what was done to give them each their own distinct aromatics and flavor profile.

We look forward to seeing you!

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko

Friday, November 6, 2009, 6-8PM

Yumegokoro Sake Brewery Tasting by Nobuo Shoji, the Exective Director

Naraman Muroka Junmai (Fukushiima)

Saturday, November 14, 2009, 5-7PM

Wataribune Junmai Ginjo Tasting (Ibaraki)

Friday, November 20, 2009, 6-8PM

JFC Importer Sake Tasting

Gassanryu Junmai & Ura-Gassanryu Honjozo Muroka Namazume (Yamagata)

Saturday, November 28, 2009, 5-7PM

Takaisami Tokubetsu Junmai (Tottori)

The following day’s brewery visit took me in a completely different direction, to Ozawa Shuzo in scenic Sawai, nestled among verdant mountains about two hours west of the city, but still in Tokyo prefecture. This time, a pleasant five minute walk through the picturesque village led me to my destination, the kura that brews one of my favorite sake, Sawanoi Kiokejikomi Iroha Kimoto Junmai.  My guides Kubo-san and his assistant were gracious and informative, making sure that I saw the cedar tank (kioke) used in making the aforementioned brew, the underground springs that are their two water sources, and a wall of koshu (aged sake) vintages dating back 20 years.

Another highlight of the visit was a perfect lunch at their fabled tofu restaurant perched serenely just above the rapids of the Tama River. As my server presented each in a series of delectable tofu dishes, I sipped from the flight of four Sawanoi sake that I had pre-selected while gazing at the natural beauty of the tableau spread out before my windowside table.  Even as rain began to fall, it only enhanced what couldn’t have been a more peaceful and relaxing experience!

Accompanied by our friend Melinda, I set out early the morning following the SSI awards event for Huchuhomare Shuzo in Ishioka, a small town in Sonoma-like Ibaraki-ken, about an hour and a half north by train from Shinjuku station in Tokyo.  On our arrival at Ishioka station, we were greeted warmly by the smiling shacho-san (brewery President) Takaaki Yamauchi.  As he drove us to his family-owned brewery, we discussed the local effects of the typhoon which had made landfall in eastern Japan the day before, destroying several older buildings nearby.  Fortunately, no harm had come to any of the inhabitants!  (Aside from high winds which temporarily shut down rail service, the much-anticipated typhoon had been a non-event in Tokyo).

Following a welcome of tea and sweets in the ancient reception room, Yamauchi-san led us on an intriguing tour of the kura.  We then tasted the full line of Wataribune nihonshu as he described the history of the brewery and how he had come to use the unique Wataribune strain of  sakamai (sake rice varietal) to make his sake.  It seems that a former high-ranking Ministry of Agriculture official who had retired to the locale, about twenty years ago suggested that Huchuhomare consider resurrecting the long-ago used pure strain.  Only problem was that all they could find was about 15 grams of seeds in the seed bank.  Not a lot to start a rice field with!  Nevertheless, they planted it, collected the seeds each year and eventually cultivated a sufficient supply for sake brewing.  The story came to life quickly as our next stop was that very rice field itself which surrounds our lunch destination, the homemade tofu and soba restaurant owned and operated by, you guessed it, the gentleman who brought Wataribune to Yamauchi-san!

To learn more about the wonder of Wataribune, read this.

Interested in visiting sake breweries?  If you are, we have exciting news….

Our friends Etsuko Nakamura and John Gauntner (author of The Sake Handbook) have put together the sake-lover’s dream vacation!

Now, anyone can access the inner workings of the sake world. Visit Japan, start off with a bit of formal sake education by sake guru John Gauntner, then you’re off to visit  several sake breweries to see how sake is made while under the care of an experienced sake-savvy interpreter.  Some stays in ryokans (Japanese inn) and sake-focused dinners at izakaya (sake pubs) round out the experience.

This brewing season, there are two tours planned:

Tour I: February 23 to 27 in the Kansai (Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe) area

Visit sake breweries including those in the historic sake town of Fushimi (in Kyoto), one of the major brewing towns in Japan as well as Japanese gardens and historic Nijo Castle, built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Edo period shogun.

Tour II: March 15 to 19 in the San-in (Shimane/Tottori/Hiroshima) area

In addition to visiting breweries, this tour also includes a visit to the  Izumo Grand Shrine, one of Japan’s most ancient and important shrines, plus parks and art museums.

For more information, pricing and reservations please visit Sake Brewery Tour.  Participation is extremely limited this season for the two tours that are scheduled.

 The sake sampling season of September is in full swing!  With brewers descending on New York for their importer and distributor events, we’re excited about welcoming a full complement of them to SAKAYA for a line up of terrific tastings.  Please join us for as many as you’re able to fit into your schedule.

And don’t forget about Joy of Sake on September 24 where there will be over 270 sake to taste! Tickets may be purchased at SAKAYA for $80.

Friday, September 4, 2009, from 6 to 8PM

Daishichi Brewer Sake Tasting (Fukushima)

Daishichi Kimoto Classic Junmai, Minowamon Kimoto Junmai Daiginjo, & Daishichi Kimoto Umeshu

Saturday, September 12, 2009 from 3 to 6PM

Niigata Sake SENA Tasting

Kirinzan Junmai & Manotsuru Junmai Ginjo Genshu

Friday, September 18, 2009, from 6 to 8PM

Joto Sake Tasting

Yuho Junmai (Ishikawa) & Taiheikai Tokubetsu Junmai (Ibaraki)

Wednesday, September 23, 2009, from 6 to 8PM

Shochu Tasting by Satsuma Distiller (Kagoshima)

Satsuma Shiranami Imo (Sweet Potato) Shochu & Kuro Shiranami Imo Shocchu

Saturday, September 26, 2009 from 5 to 7PM

Nanbu Bijin Brewer Tasting (Iwate)

Nanbu Bijin Tokubetsu Junmai

Our apologies for the late posting of the July tasting schedule.  Still remaining at this point are the noteworthy U.S. debuts of the Tsuki no Katusura Junmai Ginjo summer namazake from Japan Prestige Sake,  Dassai 39 Sparkling Nigori, and Kikusui Organic Junmai.

 Please join us to enjoy these new arrivals and taste the latest offerings of the accompanying established favorites .  We look forward to seeing you at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko

Saturday, July 11, 2009, 3 to 6PM

Winebow Importer Tasting

Ichishima Futsu-shu & Dewatsuru Kimoto Junmai

Thursday, July 16, 2009, 6 to 8PM

World Sake Import Tasting

Seitoku Junmai Ginjo (Gunma) & Dewazakura Dewa San San (Yamagata)

Thursday, July 23, 2009, 6 to 8PM

Japan Prestige Sake Summer Nama Tasting

Ohyama Tokubetsu Junmai Nama & Tsuki no Katsura Junmai Ginjo Nama

Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 6 to 8PM

Mr. Sakurai’s Sparkling Sake Tasting

Dassai 39 Sparkling Nigori

Thursday, July 30, 2009, 6 to 8PM

Kikusui Brewer Sake Tasting

Kikusui Organic Junmai, Kikusui Junmai Ginjo, & Kikusui Funaguchi

We begin the month with two tastings of the last wave (and best in our opinion) of the special Spring release namazake.   Next is the debut of the sake from the latest importer to make their brews available in NYC, Sake Story.

And finally, with brewers making their annual mid-May visits to NYC,  we have a full schedule of tastings to offer visitors the opportunity to meet them and sample their sake.

Please join us!

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko

Friday, May 1, 6 to 8PM

Japan Prestige Sake Spring Nama Tasting

Saturday, May 9, 3 to 6PM

Japan Prestige Sake Spring Nama Tasting

Thursday, May 14, 6 to 8PM

Sake Story Selections Sake Tasting

Saturday, May 16, 3 to 6PM

Daimon Brewer Sake Tasting

Sunday, May 18, 3 to 5PM

Tentaka Brewer &  Kanbara Brewer Sake Tasting

Friday, May 29, 6 to 8PM

Naruto Tai Brewer Sake Tasting

Sunday, May 31, 3 to 5PM

Onikoroshi Brewer Sake Tasting

Imagine if you will,  a journey through time and space that begins with an intensive abrasion of your skin.  While  still smarting, you’re jet-sprayed, dunked, and held under water until you’ve shed whatever residue  remained from the abrasion.  “Whew! Glad th  at’s over with,” you think as you lie down and rest for the night.

But early the following morning before you know what’s happening,  you’re in the hottest Turkish bath you’ve never dreamed of.  Ouch!  With great relief you’re allowed to cool off while b  eing transported somewhere by conveyor belt.  Suddenly,  without warning,  you’re sucked into a hose and flying at warp speed  until…splash!  You’ve been shot into  a tank of yeasty smelling liquid.

Such is the sakamai’s  tale.

(Posted from Daimon Shuzo sake brewery in Osaka-fu)

How do they do it?  There are so many tasks and so few kurabito.  Our Mukune International Sake Brewing Program intern team of six has doubled the work force at Daimon Shuzo.   The experience of the last day and a half has given me an immense appreciation for the efficiency of the operation of this sakagura.   To say that the craft of sake making is arduous and demanding would be an understatement.  But the real difference maker is the coordination, timing, and teamwork.

We’ve washed, soaked, steamed, and cooled rice for a variety of uses (and we’ll do more).  We’ve made and moved koji.  Made boxes and labeled bottles.   Washed and cleaned our equipment and the materials used in the process.  We’ll do that many times more as well.   Along with the physical, we’ve also be given an inside look at the science and management of the process.  It is astounding what the full time kura team accomplishes in creating and packaging a variety of different sake (each with it’s own unique “recipe” requiring different logistics and timing).  All is seamlessly integrated following  a flow of steps that bends and turns according to time, temperature, and taste.

At the figurative end of the day,  we’ve had a literal taste of the satisfaction that a toji feels as he samples the free run sake that is the first to flow out of the Yabuta (the machine that presses the fermented mash and yields the fresh undiluted, unpasteurized sake).  At the literal end of the day, we’ve also experienced the blissful exhaustion that comes from a labor that produces such an exquisite beverage.   I know that I’ve never slept so well.

Within 10 minutes of our arrival at the Daimon Shuzo kura, we were immersed in the transfer of koji from wooden box-like trays to a burlap lined,  wire mesh-based variety.   We were smelling, smoothing, and yes, even tasting the almost styrofoam-like grains of rice that were now in a state of saccharine transformation due to the effects of exposure to their koji-kin invaders. With apologies for the lack of specific terminology,  it was the experience of immediate entrance into the world and craft of sake brewing that was singularly exhilarating.

Our welcome from Shacho (President) and Toji (Brewmaster) Yasutaka Daimon was at the same time, warm, gracious, and enthusiastic.   “Fasten your seat belts!” he exclaimed as he  smiled at us from the top of the stairway.  And then, there we were, up to our eyes in koji.

The subsequent exploration of our new home ultimately led to a steep, well-worn wooden stairway which led to our sleeping quarters.  Looking straight up into the eaves of this ancient structure,  I was struck by the feeling (realization?)   that I was exactly where I most wanted to be.  The stairway symbolized that point of entry from one world to the next.