The popularity of Japan’s national drink is exploding in Ontario, but how can you choose a sake out of the dozens of varieties available at the LCBO, or even from half a dozen options at a sushi bar? For those of us not fortunate enough to have a ticket for tonight’s Kampai Toronto Sake Festival at the Distillery District, here is a rundown on selecting sake.
According to sake expert John Gauntner, the price of sake is usually a reflection of the quality; that is, the more expensive sakes generally have the best ingredients and the most involved production. Sake has no vintages and it is not to be cellared. Like beer, sake is a brewed drink and is to be enjoyed now. Price aside, drink what you like best. There’s no way to know until you try a few!
There are two styles of sake:
- Junmai (pure rice style) = rice + water + yeast + koji (mould, but in a good way)
- Fortified = rice + water + yeast + koji + distilled alcohol
Don’t worry, both styles have alcohol (as do wine and fortified wine).
There are different grades of both junmai and fortified sakes. The major distinction is that the higher the grade, the more polished the rice is, and the more polished the rice is, the more fragrant and refined the sake becomes.
The three grades of junmai sake are:
- Junmai: unspecified degree of rice polishing
- Junmai ginjo: medium-polished rice
- Junmai daiginjo: highly polished rice (at least 50 per cent of the grain is milled away)
Fortified sake comes in four grades:
- Futsu-shu: (a.k.a. “the cheap stuff,” representing about two thirds of sake sold) little or no polishing of the rice
- Honjozo: slightly polished rice
- Ginjo: medium-polished rice
- Daiginjo: highly polished rice (at least 50 per cent of the grain is milled away)
In either style, daiginjo — characterized as fruity, aromatic and the most complex variety of sake — is the fancy stuff and will likely be the most expensive (it’s recommended to drink the best sake chilled, not warmed). But hey, maybe cheap is your style.
There are other characteristics to consider, such as cloudy versus clear, the gimmicky but agreeable sparkling sake and place of origin — from your preferred region of Japan or from right here in Toronto at the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company in the Distillery District.
So now that you know how to choose your sake, kampai!
Kampai Toronto Festival of Sake, The Distillery District, 55 Mill St., May 30
Evan Andrew Mackay is a Toronto playwright and humorist who writes about culture and social justice.