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The Ginjo-Shu Buzzword

When beginning to explain premium Sake to people, often there is a bit of a mental block. Many people are sure all Sake is served hot, and many are sure it is bland, searing in its strength, distilled, and a whole range of other misperceptions. This makes it difficult for some to even conceive of the concept of Sake being a premium beverage that can be as fine as the finest of wines.

And when approaching some people about premium Sake, in particular retailers and service industry people that are confident about their knowledge of wine, once in a while one encounters a psychological brick wall, impervious and thick, with regards to Sake. "Sorry, I don't do Sake" they will say with a decisive tone and a dismissing glance to another part of the room, often not without the arrogance so often borne of ignorance.

"Ah, but have you had ginjo Sake before?" I ask. When greeted with the usual furrowed brow of confusion, I quickly explain that ginjo-shu is Sake above and beyond the average; it is fruity, aromatic, served slightly chilled, made with special rice and methods, and certainly not what most people know as Sake. If this is worded right, I usually get another five seconds, during which I explain that ginjo is to regular Sake what single malt scotch is to the lake of regular scotch, or what 100% agave tequila is to regular tequila.

And then it happens. Over and over and over I have seen it: the brick wall collapses. There is a flicker of understanding in their eyes, and the inevitable nod of recognition. A latch in their mind clicks, a gate opens, and they are at least willing to listen and taste. From there, good Sake speaks for itself.

Why is this so effective? A few reason. First and foremost, it's the absolute truth. Ginjo Sake is true to that description. Only about eight to nine percent of all Sake brewed is ginjo-shu, which means anything with the ginjo word on the label is better than more than 90% of everything out there. And anyone that knows their beverages can very, very easily relate to the scotch and tequila examples.

As most readers surely know, there are legal regulations dictating how ginjo is made, with the main one being that the rice has to be milled to a certain degree, to remove at least the outer 40% of the rice grains, sending into exile the fermentation-inhibiting fats and proteins that reside in the outer part of the rice grains, and thereby sparing the Sake from roughness and off-flavors. But there is a bit more to it as well. Ginjo is made in labor-intensive, stress-inducing, hand-crafted ways, fermented slowly and at lower temperatures, and handled with a lot of tender-loving-care at every stage of the process.

It is all this that gives ginjo its complexity, depth, range of interesting and diverse aromas and flavors, and above all, its balance and distinctive clean and refined flavor. Which is why it is best enjoyed very slightly chilled; warming it or overchilling it bludgeons away just what the brewers wanted you to enjoy.

(And, as most readers surely know, ginjo, ginjo Sake and ginjo-shu are all synonymous. The "-shu" suffix merely means Sake.)

As mentioned, one big advantage to promoting ginjo as a style is that this is to a degree how things are viewed in Japan. The concept of ginjo as premium is authentic and credible. Sure, many people enjoy Sake that is not ginjo-shu. But ginjo as an overall division is easily recognized as something different, something above and beyond the rest in Japan as well.

However, there are a few drawbacks to all of this. One, there are a few grades of Sake that are just below ginjo class, but still full-fledged premium Sake grades, that get lopped off and grouped with average table Sake.  Namely, honjozo, junmaishu, tokubetsu honjozo and tokubetsu junmaishu are not considered ginjo, but are very much premium. This is indeed an unfortunate side-effect of referring to ginjo as the type of Sake to be enjoying. 

Two, the various subclasses of ginjo are not conveyed and can get overlooked. While this is less damaging, the differences between the subclasses of ginjo known as junmai ginjo, regular ginjo, junmai daiginjo and regular daiginjo are not conveyed. This means that those with the requisite interest must study this elsewhere.

But the compromise is worth it. Creating the interest in premium Sake will certainly promote further study, and a more complete understanding of all things Sake will surely follow.
 
Sake classifications can be a bit daunting at first, just like those of wine. But, just like wine, in the end, if you like it, that is all that matters. And the good news about using ginjo as a buzzword for good Sake is that ginjo is certainly likeable to all. So “at first”, it is all you need to remember, and all you need to convey to bring others into the fold.

{Our thanks to John Gauntner, Vine Connections’ “Man in Japan”, for his in-depth discussion of this subject from his online newsletter (#42). To sign up for John’s monthly newsletter, please visit http://www.Sake-world.com/html/newsletter-signup.html}.

 

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