A brief description of this sake is necessary here. This sake is made by Terada Honke according to ancient methods (bodaimoto). Everything is done by hand. Ordinary table rice (Koshihikari) is used to make this sake, not sake rice. While most rice used to make sake is first polished to remove 30-50% (sometimes more) of the grain, Terada only removes 8-10%! \u00a0I am told my a number of reliable sources that he me also be the only Toji (sake brewer – yes, sake is brewed) who doesn’t add a man-made yeast called Koji. This means he may be the only Toji to make sake spontaneously. \u00a0It’s an all natural sake – it’s an all natural method. You could in theory do this at home, and this is why for many years, the Japanese government forbade this method of production. this sake has not been diluted or pasteurized and for this needs to be stored at the cold temperature of 4-5\u00b0C.<\/p>\n
The sake is cloudy and has a yellow hue, much like lemonade. \u00a0the smell explodes out of the glass. Lemons and rice are the dominant aromas. When I first tasted this sake, I was reminded of the time I first tasted Frank Cornelissen’s Rosso del Contadino about 6 years ago. \u00a0Not because this sake tasted or reminded me of the wine, but because when the sake hit my mouth, I had a revelation. \u00a0After more than 20 years drinking sake, I felt that for the first time I\u00a0truly\u00a0understood sake. \u00a0It was slightly sparkling, like some natural wines when they first hit the glass. These bubbles soon disappeared. What struck me most about this sake apart from the intense mouth feel, is the balance between a subtle sweetness and an amazing acidic structure which gave this sake a certain freshness I had not experienced in any sake before. And of course, a slight “wild” edge and funkiness that so many natural wines have. \u00a0wow! \u00a0I am sold. (apologies for the lack of picture of the sake on it’s own – I some how deleted a bunch of photo’s from my phone before I was able to download them. If you click on the photo, you should get a larger version. To the left of the bottle you will spot a glimpse of this sake in a glass)<\/p>\n
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