THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO

Copyrighted material, April 2016

JAPAN SAKE BREWERIES & PREFECTURES

RU USSIA IA

Takasago

CH HIN NA

(Hokkaido) Hokk kkai kk aido ai d do

RTH KO KOR ORE R A

Ama no To (Akita)

SEA OF JAPAN

Nanbu Bijin

Kanbara

(Iwate)

(Niigata) Hons Ho nshu ns hu

Yuho (Ishikawa)

Tentaka (Tochigi)

Konteki (Kyoto) Mantensei (Tottori)

TOKYO

Rihaku (Shimane)

Mt.Fuji Elev 12,388

Tensei (Kanagawa)

Takatenjin (Shizuoka) Shik Sh ikok ik ok ku ku

Fukucho Ky yu usshu shu

(Hiroshima)

Chiyonosono (Kumamoto)

Tozai (Kyoto) Bushido (Kyoto)

PACIFIC OCEAN

PREMIUM JAPANESE SAKE FACTS RICE VARIETIES

700 A.D.

YEAR SAKE IS BELIEVED TO HAVE ORIGINATED IN JAPAN

13

1,000

NUMBER OF SAKE BREWERIES IN JAPAN TODAY

NUMBER OF RICE VARIETIES REPRESENTED IN VINE CONNECTIONS SAKE

SAKE RICE VS. TABLE RICE

55%

OF JAPAN’S FARMLAND IS RICE PADDIES

15%-17%

HEIGHT: sake rice is 25% taller than table rice

WEIGHT: sake rice is heavier (weighs 25-30 grams)

WIDTH: a grain of sake rice is 20% larger than table rice

CONTENT: sake rice has more starch, less fat, & less protein

AVERAGE ALCOHOL BY VOLUME IN SAKE

LESS THAN

SAKE GRADE LEVELS

6%

OF ALL JAPANESE SAKE IS CONSIDERED SUPER PREMIUM

NON JUNMAI

31

JUNMAI GINJO & JUNMAI DAIGINJO

GINJO & DAIGINJO

HONJOZO

NON PREMIUM SAKE

LOW GRADE

low quality

73.8%

PREMIUM

ALL SAKE MADE

14.2%

JUNMAI & TOKUBETSU JUNMAI

high quality

6.2%

Increasing quality, price, fragrance, complexity

2.6% 3.2%

SUPER PREMIUM

NUMBER OF PREMIUM SAKE IMPORTED BY VINE CONNECTIONS

JUNMAI

RICE MILLED TO:

Brewed using Rice, Water, Koji Mold, & Distilled Alcohol

Brewed using Rice, Water, & Koji Mold only (NO Distilled Alcohol)

DAIGINJO

JUNMAI DAIGINJO

AT LEAST

GINJO

JUNMAI GINJO

HONJOZO

JUNMAI

AT LEAST

FUTSU “TABLE SAKE”

Table sake often using automated brewing processes and plenty of distilled alcohol. Futsu represents about 75% of the entire sake market.

INFOGRAPHIC PROVIDED BY VINE CONNECTIONS

for more information visit vineconnections.com

AT LEAST

50%

(50% or more milled away)

60%

(40% or more milled away)

70%

(30% or more milled away)

NO MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

VINE CONNECTIONS SAKE PORTFOLIO A comprehensive portfolio offering everything from the highest quality everyday sake to the ultimate drinking experience. We have selected top breweries from 13 different Japanese prefectures spanning the entire country, from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Vine Connections is the leading U.S. authority on Japanese sake and is known for its consistency of quality, supply, and price stability. Our approachable sake education, innovative marketing and packaging, and sales materials truly set us apart from our competitors.

ABOUT VINE CONNECTIONS Vine Connections leads the charge for representing sake and wines that change minds – unearthing high quality sake and wines, regions, and people who inspire you to become part of the VC movement. Vine Connections is one of the leading authorities and educators in the U.S. for Japanese ginjo sake, along with premium wine from Argentina, Chile, and California. Based in Sausalito, California, Ed Lehrman and Nick Ramkowsky pioneered the first nationally-imported portfolio of artisan wines from Argentina in 1999, and then introduced Japanese ginjo sake from 11 brewers in 2001. These small, traditional family brewers produce the world's most delicious premium sake. In 2013, Vine Connections’ “The New Chile Portfolio” revolutionized the category with boutique wines from Chile’s diverse appellations. VC also represents a set of unique and innovative California wines. Vine Connections champions regions and people that deserve to be known. - UNCORK THE UNEXPECTED -

SAKE SENSEI NICK RAMKOWSKY, the co-founder and owner of Vine Connections, has an extraordinary enthusiasm for championing unknown regions. Nick started working as a wine buyer at North Berkeley Wine, a well-known wine shop in the Bay Area, while attending UC Berkeley. Upon graduation, Nick moved to France for a year to explore its wine country, and later began working in wholesale distribution when he returned to the US. He started Vine Connections with Ed in 1999 after a trip to Argentina where they had a vision of the great future of that wine country. Soon after, the company seized the opportunity to import sake and became leading experts in the premium ginjo category. Nick is a visionary who leads VC’s portfolio development, sake and wine quality, supplier relations, and sales strategy.

ED LEHRMAN is the co-founder and owner of Vine Connections, and he pairs a passion for sake and wine with a keen business acumen. Ed’s wine career started at the New York premier wine shop, Sherry-Lehmann, after he graduated from Duke University. He soon made it to California to get his MBA at UCLA before moving to SF to work at Kendall-Jackson and later Seagram Classics. He started his first business, Passport Wine Club, in 1994 and Nick became one of his main wholesale suppliers. Ed’s sake epiphany came in 2001 at a dinner in SF where he tasted his first group of incredible ginjo sake with several Japanese brewers. Based in the Sausalito office, Ed is involved in the day-to-day management of Vine Connections. He leads long-term strategy development and oversees all departments.

MONICA SAMUELS is one of the country’s most accomplished sake professionals and leads the Vine Connections team through education, marketing, and sales to drive retail, restaurant, and consumer demand. With over 9 years of experience, Monica brings a unique perspective to the industry. She was the Sake Ambassador at Southern Wine & Spirits in New York as well as the Corporate Sake Sommelier at the Sushi Samba restaurant group. She has a unique understanding of pairing sake with food, particularly outside of traditional Japanese settings. Monica holds several professional sake honors, including an esteemed judging role for the annual US National Sake Appraisal. She was recently named a “Top 40 under 40 – America’s Most Influential Tastemakers” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Additionally, Monica is a Level 3 Certified Instructor for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and has lectured on sake for the Culinary Institute of America’s academic program.

JOHN GAUNTNER is recognized as the world’s leading non-Japanese sake author-

ity and expert. John was instrumental in compiling the Vine Connections sake portfolio. A longtime resident of Japan, he has written several books and articles about sake and is often regarded by the industry as the person who made sake popular outside of Japan.

John is the only non-Japanese certified Master of Sake Tasting in the world and has also achieved the very difficult Sake Expert Assessor certification from Japan’s National Research Institute of Brewing. No other non-Japanese in the world has both of these certifications. He is the founder of the not-for-profit Sake Education Council and has educated over one thousand sake professionals worldwide through his Sake Professional Course.

©2014 MONICA SAMUELS AND JULIE QIU

FILTRATION*

raw sake

1-2 MOS

COOLING

RICE POLISHING

DILUTION*

30-40 DAYS

BOTTLING*

4 DAYS

PASTEURIZATION*

2 WEEKS

STEAMING

steamed rice

6 MOS - 1 YEAR

MATURATION*

* = steps are optional

2-3 DAYS

KOJI PRODUCTION

EACH BATCH ~1 HR

YEAST STARTER

SOAKING

THREE STEP ADDITIONS

WASHING

MAIN FERMENTATION MASH

60% REMAIN AVG ~48 HRS

PRESSING

RICE HARVESTING

STEPS OF SAKE PRODUCTION

Water dilution of the sake to reduce the alcohol content.

Charcoal fining to remove any color, remaining sake kasu, or trace organisms from the sake.

©2014 MONICA SAMUELS AND JULIE QIU

DILUTION*

FILTRATION*

raw sake

30-40 DAYS

Pasteurization is done to prevent any yeast or enzyme activity in the bottle, and extends the shelf life of sake.

Bottling is done before or after pasteurization. It is generally thought that bottling before pasteurization keeps the sake as fresh and unexposed to elements as possible.

2 WEEKS

steamed rice

6 MOS - 1 YEAR

6 months to a year of temperature controlled maturation to fully develop the sake’s characteristics.

MATURATION*

* = steps are optional

2-3 DAYS

15-20% of the total rice in a batch of sake will be taken to a room called the Koji Muro, where the koji mold will be slowly grown on the steamed sake rice.

KOJI PRODUCTION

EACH BATCH ~1 HR

In a small tank (around 1/10 the size of the entire fermentation), steamed sake rice and koji rice is combined with water and cultivated sake yeast.

PASTEURIZATION*

4 DAYS

Over the course of four days, gradually increasing amounts of water, koji rice, and steamed sake rice are added to the tank.

BOTTLING*

The fermentation process takes between 30-40 days for premium sake. During this period saccharification and fermentation happens simultaneously in what is referred to as multiple parallel fermentation.

The removal of rice and yeast solids (sake kasu) from the liquid. The most common method is through an assaku-ki, which is an accordionshaped machine that squeezes the sake mash through a fine mesh.

STEAMING Each batch of rice takes about an hour and is cooked by steam rising from underneath the rice steamer. The target temperature of the rice is 100 degrees Celsius.

YEAST STARTER

During this soaking process the water absorption rate of the rice is determined so that even steaming can occur later.

SOAKING

THREE STEP ADDITIONS

A fine white powder residue is left on the rice after polishing; this is washed off and the rice is soaked.

WASHING

MAIN FERMENTATION MASH

AVG ~48 HRS

Sake rice is polished in a vertical mill that slowly shaves off the outer layers of rice.

1-2 MOS

COOLING

RICE POLISHING

PRESSING

Sake rice is harvested in the fall. Most sake brewers do not own their own rice fields, and many do not even use rice from the prefecture where their brewing facility is located.

RICE HARVESTING

STEPS OF SAKE PRODUCTION

SAKE CONTINUES TO THRIVE

4.9

47%

millions of liters of sake imported to the US in 2015.

increase in sake import volume over the last 6 years.

Volume of Sake Imports - Japan to US 6

{

Millions of Liters

5

Sake imports have

INCREASED

4 3

every year for the past 15 years except during the 2009 recession.

2 1

2015

2014

2012

2013

2011

2010

2009

2007

2008

2005

2006

2004

2002

2003

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1995

1996

0

SAKE SALES SURGE AT VINE CONNECTIONS

30%

increase in shipment revenue from 2012 to 2015.

15%

increase in revenue from 2014 to 2015.

6%

increase in points of distribution from 2014 to 2015. Source: http://www.fas.usda.gov/gats/default.aspx

DECODING A BACK LABEL Vine Connections was the first importer to develop a sake back label that clearly outlines the important facts for describing or learning about each sake. These include:

BRAND NAME PRODUCT NAME GRADE FLAVOR PROFILE ORIGIN RICE VARIETY USED BREWERY OR SAKE FACT

The bottle graph shows the % of each grade of sake produced in Japan, and the darkened area shows the grade level of the particular sake.

SAKE SERVING SUGGESTIONS POURING ETIQUETTE Japanese culture places importance on respecting each other during all customs, including sake consumption. • Pour sake with both hands by holding the neck of the bottle or carafe as much as possible. • Pour each other’s cups when sharing sake.

DRINKING VESSELS • Serve sake in a wine glass for the ultimate sensory experience. • More traditional vessels include wooden box cups (masu), porcelain cups (ochoko), and carafes (tokkuri).

TOP 6 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SAKE Myth #1 Sake should be drunk hot.

Myth #2 Sake is low in acid relative to wine.

There is a great range of enjoyable temperatures to drink sake, but serving it steaming hot masks its subtlety and exacerbates the alcohol.

Sake lacks the acids associated with wine (tartaric and malic), but it is higher in amino acids than wine is. This makes it a perfect pairing for food.

Myth #3 Sake is high in alcohol.

Myth #4 Sake should be cheap.

Sake yeast is only capable of fermenting a beverage until it reaches 20% alcohol, and the sake is usually diluted afterward to bring down the level of alcohol to 14 to 18%.

Large format bottles of table sake are inexpensive, but the same is not true for premium sake. The high quality raw materials and the careful precision that goes along with crafting the beverage is very expensive.

Myth #5 Sake causes hangovers.

Myth #6 Sake oxidizes in the same amount of time as wine does.

Excessive drinking of any alcohol will eventually cause a hangover. However, premium sake has no sulfites, additives, or preservatives, which is what many people to believe to cause hangovers.

Once opened, premium sake will remain fresh for at least one week. Some sakes stay fresh for even longer!

酒 原酒 吟醸

地酒 乾杯 生もと

石

麹 古酒

蔵 酒母

飲み会 酒飲み 精米歩合

心白 -

酒

杜氏 特別

山廃

酔っ払い

+

+ 1 Entry Level Premium Cold Sake

Additional Junmai Ginjo Selections TRY: Konteki Tears of Dawn, Konteki Pearls of Simplicity, or Ginga Shizuku Divine Droplets SIZE: 300 ml or 720 ml

TRY: Takatenjin Sword of the Sun, Rihaku Dance of Discovery, Chiyonosono Shared Promise, or Tozai Well of Wisdom SIZE: 300 ml or 720 ml

1 Sake for Drinking Warm & Cooking

TRY: Yuho Rhythm of the Centuries or Rihaku Dreamy Clouds SIZE: 300 ml or 720 ml

TRY: Fukucho Moon on the Water, Kanbara Bride of the Fox, or Nanbu Bijin Southern Beauty SIZE: 300 ml or 720 ml

1 Nigori (Cloudy Sake)

TRY: Tozai Blossom of Peace SIZE: 720 ml

TRY: Tozai Snow Maiden SIZE: 300 ml or 720 ml

TRY: Tozai Typhoon or Tozai Living Jewel SIZE: 720 ml

TRY: Tozai Typhoon SIZE: 720 ml or 1.8 L

HOW TO BUILD A SAKE RETAIL SHELF SET Sakee Intro Intro: shelf space for 4 sake SKUs

1 Plum Sake

Sake Stepping Up: shelflf space fofor 6 sake SKUs

1 Premium Sake, 1 Super Premium Sake,

Elegant & Complex Daiginjo or Junmai Daiginjo

Sake Pro: shelf space for 12+ sake SKUs

Additional Categories:

kimoto, yamahai, sparkling, dry nigori