292282 Sat Mar 22 04:16:11 -0800 2003 2 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1594772 Just want to point you all to a very informative discussion about premium sakes from the Bay Area board that originally was about an izakaya restaurant in Burlingame. I've been learning a lot about premium sakes from these connoisseurs. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/23346#88701 Sat Mar 22 04:16:11 -0800 2003 0 Eric Eto 1 1594829 Ok, I'm FAR from an expert on sake, but did attend this sake tasting recently that's mentioned in the Bay Area thread so thought I'd post some of the info provided to us, and what little notes I took - maybe others who were at the tasting will add their notes too. We tasted six sakes: 2 Junmai, 2 Ginjo and 2 Daiginjo. We tasted all of these straight (without food), so am sure they'd be completely different with food. The Junmai's were: Masumi "Okuden Kantsukuri" - smooth, well-balanced, bit of sweetness. very familiar tasting. good with country-style dishes. From Nagano region. A little too sweet for my tastes, at least to drink straight. Akitabare "Koshiki Junzukuri" - dry, mild "kind of sake one can drink enjoyable for hours at a stretch" from Northern Province area (not sure which region exactly). This was my favorite. Ginjo: Dewazakura "Izumi Judan" - from Yamagata region. Martini lover's sake, dry, clear and high-octane. This was my second favorite. Masumi "Yamahai" - brewed with old yamahai method, aged eight months, especially good in winter with hearty-dishes. Daiginjo: Kamoizumi "Junmai Daiginjo" - "possesses range of flavors, from persimmon to caramel to shiitake to forest leaves" - definately earthy. esp. good with unagi. Dewazakura "Daiginjo" - fruity, peach and apricots, softly melting snow, would be really good as an after dinner drink. One of these Daiginjo's had a definately 'stinky cheese' smell - not unpleasant if you like stinky cheese - I thought it was the Kamoizumi but my husband swore it was the Dewazakura (but it could be we just had our cups switched!) These were all provided by importer, Seio Shimada of World Sake Imports. It was quite an interesting selection and very informative. Sun Mar 23 16:16:54 -0800 2003 1594772 0 Celery 2 1594945 The amount of information imparted about sake was mind-boggling and changed a lot of my perceptions about sake. Brief iterations of the things I learned: Once its bottled, it doesn't get any better so its ready to drink. - I never thought one way or the other about it but I have a couple unopened sakes that are several years old. I may have to taste them against this year's sake to see if I can taste a "freshness" difference. Once its opened, drink it as you would wine (by the bottle). - Now I realize I've been treating sake like distilled items (vodka) and assumed that it could sit around for a while. Buy it chilled and keep it chilled. - Better sakes are more delicate and should be kept refrigerated. Sake can be served at several acceptable temperatures based on preference - warm, room tempurature and cold. Heating sake above warm is an easy way to hide the flaws in cheap sake. Mon Mar 24 18:53:03 -0800 2003 1594829 0 Pssst