Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/253609
february 2014 / the tasting panel / 77 Savvy Saké Service The nuances of traditional saké service—especially proper temperature—are virtually unknown to the Western world. Historically, saké has been served warm, and the practice of warming saké takes place in several different stages that vary by about ive degrees. During a tasting of sakés served chilled, room temperature and warm, Takara Sake USA's Izumi Motai shed some light on the subtly of service temperature, which is both practical and, like the traditional names given to sakés, charming. Given the broad range of temperatures and the array of styles that can be combined, the only rule is to avoid the extremes of icy cold or boiling hot. "Warming saké helps us detect the acids and releases complex aromas," said Motai. "Proper warming doesn't affect quality and it makes saké even more versatile when you're pairing it with food." The basic service temperatures for saké: CHILLED: 41–46 degrees F COOL: 60 degrees F ROOM TEMPERATURE: 68 degrees F SUN SPOT: 86 degrees F WARM: 100–105 degrees F HOT: not warmer than 122 degrees F According to Motai, there's no need for a thermom- eter. Simply gauge the subtle temperature shifts in relation to body temperature and the natural world. Warm saké is slightly higher than body temperature. In Japanese, hito- hada, or warm, literally means "person's skin." Chilled saké is hanahie (a sudden spring chill), and hinatakan or "sun spot," is, naturally, the temperature of saké that has been left out in the sun. Guidelines for Serving Junmai Styles at the Optimal Temperature: Unpasteurized junmai saké (namazake) is best chilled for crisp, fresh lavors of green tropical fruit, banana and an umami-rich inish. Draft styles like the award- winning Sho Chiku Bai Rei Junmai Ginjo or Daiginjo should be chilled, but avoid cold, which will suppress aromas and lavors. Rich saké like Sho Chiku Bai Junmai is ideal at room temperature or warm, which elevates the perception of acidity and brings out the full, rich lavors. Served cool, the fruit lavors of junmai will dominate showing melon, ripe apples, pear with a soft, silky texture. Whether commercial or artisanal, saké brewing is an elaboration, a process that's more similar to beer brewing than wine fermentation and differs from both in that the conversion of starch to sugar relies on the action of koji mold and takes place simultane- ously with fermentation. These mul- tiple, parallel fermentations result in higher alcohol levels of 18% to 20% for undiluted saké. With no fewer than 13 steps in the brewing process, the saké spends its inal days prior to bottling resting in tanks that are cooled by their proximity to San Francisco Bay. The use of a combination of pro- prietary and commercial yeasts to achieve various styles of saké, like the Sho Chiku Bai Rei draft, and reliance on rotary fermenters similar to those used for achieving supple styles of wine has, in the eyes of the saké industry, set a quality benchmark for Takara Sake USA. The brewery's 30 years of domes- tic saké production has culminated in the attention to detail that results in the superior sensory qualities of Sho Chiku Bai Rei. In winning a coveted Gold Medal, the entire Sho Chiku Bai brand family has been acknowledged. A tawara (rice sack) used to deliver saké rice to the brewery is displayed at the Takara Sake Museum. Sho Chiku Bai Junmai Classic.