sake

Cheese and Sake, A Delicious Pairing

Filed under: Dining, Wine

Sake and cheese? It sounds a bit off doesn't it? In the U.S. sake is generally sipped warm from tiny porcelain cups at sushi joints. But what if we've got it all horribly wrong? What if sake should be treated with the same respect we give to fine wines, what if it should be poured into glasses that allow its aromas to gather, its color and legs to be seen and its flavors to be slowly sipped and savored? The offerings from Banzai Beverages make a good case for that. I got to taste some delicious sakes paired with some of Wisconsin's finest cheeses chosen for the occasion by the Barrie Lynn, the Cheese Impresario, at an event hosted by Learn About Wine in Los Angeles.

We started the event with Banzai Bunny sparkling sake, not something I would ever have thought I might enjoy but it has a nice effervescent fizz courtesy of a secondary fermentation. It's not really like a Champagne, I found its slightly citrusy sparkle to be more like a Vinho Verde.

As with any fermented grain beverage the making of the mash forms key importance for sake. Although sake is called rice wine it is really more akin to a beer or a whisky. One thing that makes sake, which is made from rice, different from other beverages is the focus on not just the type of rice but on how much of it is polished away. Before processing into mash for sake, the rice is polished to remove the protein and oils from the exterior of the rice grains leaving a starchy core. The finer sakes have more of the rice polished away, in fact a new ultra premium sake promises to remove a full 91 percent of the rice, making the sake from the remaining nine percent. As you might expect, it has a hefty price tag, $2,000 a bottle, earning it a someday space on my drinking "bucket list."

Tags: cheese, sake

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Joy of Sake Tasting this Thursday in SF

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Although I have only tried Sake once or twice a tasting room full of sake options would be a nice departure from just red and white wine events. San Francisco is hosting the Joy of Sake Tasting this Thursday evening for $75 (or $85 if you must buy at the door) featuring hundreds of sakes to test your palate. Quite different from a wine tasting the increased level of alcohol should be considered when you are deciding whether to munch between sips. It isn't often you have an opportunity to discover which sake suits you and certainly if you are in the area I wouldn't miss it.

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Tags: joy of sake tasting, Joy-of-Sake-Tasting, JoyOfSakeTasting, Sake, San Francisco, SanFrancisco

Coconut Lemongrass Sake

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Infused vodkas are pretty much a cocktail standard now but the rise of the saketini has led to infused sakes. Moonstone, which introduced flavor-infused sakes back in 2000. Their latest is their first Nigori (cloudy) sake with the exotic flavor of coconut lemongrass. The new sake won a gold medal at the Taster's Guild International Wine Competition. The flavors make it a match for Thai food as well as anything that uses tropical fruits. The sake sells for $11.

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Tags: cocktails, coconut, drinks, lemongrass, rice wine, sake, spirits

Wokka Saki Vodka

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Aside from an unusual name, Wokka Saki has an unusual combination of flavors inspired by the frozen "Snow monsters" of the Asahi mountains in Japan. It is a smooth blend of micro-distilled grain vodka, sake and the essence of Asian fruits. The combination is light and slighting more refreshing than the average vodka, but with a hint of the exotic. The spirit in made in small batches with an emphasis on quality. It won Double Gold or Gold awards three years in a row (2003-2005) at the San Francisco International Spirits competition. Price: $56.

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Tags: sake, Vodka, Wokka Saki, Wokka Saki Vodka, WokkaSaki, WokkaSakiVodka

Riedel "O" Sake Set

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The glass "O" Sake Set by Riedel offers a beautiful way to introduce sake into your home. Riedel actually conducted tastings with sake experts from Japan when designing these, keeping in mind that they wanted to glasses to be varietal, intended to be ideal glassware for serving sake. This means that all the flavors and aromatic notes of the sake will be brought out to their fullest when decanted into the small carafe and served in these glasses. Price: $38.