Epicure
Sake 101
with Sake Sommelier
Eiji Mori
By Jill Weinlein
S
ake is an elegant beverage to sip
with Japanese cuisine during a
special meal or festive
celebration.
Innovative Dining Guide (IDG)
employs three sake experts to guide
guests in their upscale Sushi Roku
restaurants in Hollywood, Santa
Monica, Pasadena and Las Vegas and
their West Hollywood Katana
restaurant.
IDG’s Sake Sommelier Eiji Mori shared
10 interesting facts vabout sake:
1. Sake is made from fermented rice,
but the rice is not the same grain that
one would eat. It’s a special rice that
is larger, stronger and contains less
protein and lipid than ordinary rice.
4. Cold sake is better for pairing
with food, especially sushi, then hot
“sake bombs.” Heating can obscure
the quality of the sake, and affect
one’s taste buds.
2. To make sake, the outer layers of
the rice grain and bran are polished
off to expose the center. The more
that is exposed, the purer the
finished sake will taste.
5. While many people liken sake to
wine because it is often called “rice
wine,” it is actually more similar to
beer. Sake is not made from fruit.
Sake is made from a grain and the
starch is converted into sugars
before being converted to alcohol.
3. There are three levels of sake.
The daiginjo is the premium, then
ginjo and last, junmai.
6. When pairing sake with food, Eiji
recommends sushi or sashimi with
daiginjo sake. This sake is pure,
light and offers clean notes that
complement the delicate fish without
overpowering it.
7. Acidic dishes are best to pair with
the crisp, fruit-forward flavors of a
ginjo grade sake. At Sushi Roku, the
salmon Carpaccio with soy truffle
olive oil is a good dish to enjoy with
a ginjo sake.
8. Cooked or fried dishes pair nicely
with junmai grade sake, because
the sake has a bit more body and
can hold up against heartier
elements. Junmai pairs well with
Sushi Roku’s Japanese Fried Chicken
“Tatsuta-Age.”
9. West Hollywood’s Katana
Restaurant on the Sunset Strip is
celebrating its 18th anniversary this
year and is offering private label
sake bottled exclusively for guests
dining in the restaurant.
10. World Sake Day is October 1.
It’s a 1,000 year old annual tradition
held in Japan that serves as a
tribute to the beverage and kicks
off the country’s sake production
season.
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