How is sparkling sake made

It seems that it is more likely to be drunken cloudy in Japan, whilst Europeans, who are mainly brought up on clear wine, often serve it clear. Either way it needs to be served chilled. If you want to serve it cloudy, that is pretty easy — open the bottle slightly, gently let the gas out, close the bottle again and just turn the bottle upside down a couple of times to distribute the sediment before you gently open the bottle.

If you want to serve it clear then leave the bottle upright in the fridge for a couple of days, gently open the bottle just enough to let the gas out gently, then open it fully and very gently pour the sparkling sake , in one go if possible, keeping the settled sediment at the bottom of the bottle. As you can see in the photograph below, it is a only a very fine sediment and does not detract from the enjoyment of the sake at all.

It can be served as an aperitif but it is also a very versatile partner to all sorts of foods. Tel: Email: [email protected] Web: farehamwinecellar. Sparkling Sake. The name Suzune refers to the tingling sound the small bubbles make in the glass. Today, many types of sparkling sake are available, although only about a tenth of breweries in Japan have a sparkling sake in their lineup.

Especially that last category has seen some interesting developments in the past few years. This sparkling sake is clear and almost colourless, with a nice amount of small bubbles. Carbon dioxide is a natural byproduct of the fermentation. Yeast converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide - which is the gas that makes the bubbles.

This sake is slightly effervescent, but not really sparkling like a Champagne. Similarily, nigori sake , which is only filtered very roughly and therefore contains tiny rice particles and yeast cells that give it a cloudy appearance, is often lightly sparkling. In fact, although Ichinokura Brewery is credited with inventing the first sparkling sake, Masuda Tokubei Shoten from Kyoto should also be mentioned.

They were the first brewery to make or rather, re-invent cloudy sake after it had been prohibited for a long time. Their sparkling nigori sake is bottled while the fermentation is still active, which creates fine bubbles. Caution when opening! Sake from Kaze no Mori is often a bit fizzy.

These types of sake are old and new at the same time. The brewing techniques might follow old customs, but before modern bottling and cooling technology became available, such sake could only be tasted for a short period of time directly at a brewery. The already mentioned Tsukino Katsura Nigori is a classic example of a sparkling nigori.

You can see small bubbles rising to the surface in this cloudy nigori sake. So how is proper bubbly sake made?

Just like with sparkling wines, there are multiple ways to make sparkling sake, but they can broadly be divided in two categories: artificially carbonated or naturally carbonated.

Imagine a giant soda maker that injects carbon dioxide into the sake. Artificial carbonation is also how many cheap sparkling wines are produced. This method is not only easy and cheap, it also gives the brewers control over the exact amount of carbonation.

But the resulting beverage will have relatively big bubbles that dissipate quickly. It is also worth noting that carbon dioxide is considered an additive, so this kind of sparkling sake cannot be sold as specially-designated-sake tokutei meisho shu , i. However, in international markets these terms are sometimes used regardless of the Japanese rules.

MIO is probably one of the most popular Sparkling Sake. Characterized by its little sourness and low alcohol, MIO has a large number of fans among women. MIO uses the carbonation method. It has been around since , before the Sparkling trend hit the world. It uses the bottle fermentation like champagne, creating fine bubbles. SUZUNE is perfect for special occasions as it is also available in pink or yellow color with no artificial additives.

The little comic instruction below is attached to the bottle. For Sake lovers, Sparkling might be too light-bodied but having Sparkling Sake in occasions instead of champagne would be nice. There are a lot of different brands of Sparkling now. Try out the new Sake experience and spread the word!! First Name. Last Name. Email address. Check the Privacy Policy. Home Shop Posts. Previous Next. Contents 1 What is Sparkling Sake?