Vine Connections | Sake | Key Sake Terms Understanding Sake: All About Grades What's in it Key Terms How's it made Where's it from Overview of Types Reviews

Key Sake Terms

Seimaibuai (say-my-boo-eye): The degree to which rice has been polished (milled) before brewing. A value of 60%, for instance, means that the rice has been milled so only 60% of the rice kernel remains (40% of the kernel has been ground away). Each Sake grade has a specific seimaibuai value. For example, Junmai Sake must be made with a seimaibuai of at least 70% (no more than 70% of the original size of the rice kernel remains). In general, the higher the rate of milling, the cleaner, more refined and more fragrant the flavor of the Sake.

Nihonshu-do (knee-hohn-shoo-doe): The specific gravity of a Sake relative to water. A very general scale of reference to the sweetness or dryness of the Sake. The scale generally runs from –6 to +10 with lower numbers indicating sweetness, and higher numbers dryness. A value of +2 could be considered neutral, although this is very subjective.

Acidity: Makes its presence felt most noticeably at the beginning and end of each sip, and in between it helps spread across the palate. Sake with higher acidity often stands up better to oilier foods like tempura or fish (raw or cooked). Rich-flavored or rather salty dishes may not need all that acidity, and in fact will work better with a lower-acidity Sake. The measure of acidity is usually a number between 0.8 to 1.7.

-Shu: Simply another reading of the character meaning Sake (which, in Japan, can refer to any alcoholic beverage). While this suffix is officially a part of all terms defining types of Sake (e.g. junmai-shu, ginjo-shu), it is often dropped in abbreviation.

Kanzake: Heated Sake. There are certainly Sakes that taste good warmed, particularly Honjozo. Boiling or overheating Sake will usually dull the aromas and flavors. Unfortunately, heating Sake is most often a way to mask the flavors of a poorly made, low-grade product.

Jizaké: "Local" Sake made by smaller brewers from a particular region. Similar to the true sense of the beer term "micro-brew".

Nigori: Sake which is either partially unfiltered, or clear Sake that has had some of the lees of the fermented rice added back. It ranges from slightly murky to chunky. While it lacks the refined character of clear Sakes, it does have its own unique charm.

Honjozo: Sake to which a small and limited amount of distilled alcohol is added at the end of fermentation, which has the effect of lightening the flavor and bringing out the aroma. Must have a seimaibuai of at least 70%.

Nama: Unpasteurized Sake. It must be kept refrigerated to prevent bacterial spoilage, thus it also tends to be a bit more expensive, and one rarely sees these in the U.S. The flavors tend to be fresher and more aggressive than its pasteurized counterpart

 

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