C3 - Sake Labelling Terms - completed Flashcards
How much of Japanese sake production is classed as ‘premium’?
Approximately one third - and this percentage is increasing.
Premium sake can only be made of what?
- rice, water, yeast, kōji and possibly jōzo alcohol.
What is the Japanese term for premium sake?
tokutei-meishō-shu
How many grades of premium sake further divided into?
- Eight
How many grades of premium sake are called tokubetsu?
- Two
What is futsū-shu?
- Basic sake
- Two thirds of Japanese production
Does the term futsū-shu usually appear on a sake label?
- rare
- brewers usually use a brand name instead
What might be added to a futsū-shu, in addition to the rice, water, yeast, kōji and jōzō?
Amino acids (for umami)
Sugar
Acid
Less tightly regulated
How does futsū-shu differ from tokutei-meishō-shu in terms of regulations?
- Less tightly regulated
Definitions of ginjō
- rice polished to 60% or less remain
- most of the protein, lipids, vitamins and minerals are polished away
- leaving almost pure starch.
- Light body,
- lower acidity
- lower umami
- fermented in extremely low temperatures
- low temperature and low nutrients put the yeast under stress
- produce aromas and flavours of green apple and banana
Definitions of daiginjō?
- an extreme version of ginjo
- rice polished to 50% or less remain.
- Very pure and delicate.
What must all eight categories of premium sake show on the label?
The polishing rate
What are the eight grades of premium sake?
- Daiginjō
- Ginjō
- Honjōzō
- Tokubetsu honjōzo
- Junmai daiginjō
- Junmai ginjō
- Junmai
- Tokubetsu junmai
What effect does the addition of distilled alcohol have on the sake?
- Very little
- it does not increase the alcohol
- Subtly enhances aromas
- Can make the sake slightly lighter in body
For futsū-shu, it increases volume and reduce the cost
What is the Japanese term for distilled alcohol?
Jōzō arukōru
True or false?
If distilled alcohol is used, it does not need to be listed on the label.
- False.
- Distilled alcohol must be listed in the ingredients on the label
What is arukorū-tenka?
- Alcohol addition - often abbreviated to aruten
What is aruten?
- abbreviation for arukorū-tenka - alcohol addition.
- Aruten is the term used to describe sake make with the addition of jōzō, and as opposed to junmai.
What is junmai?
- Premium sake made without the addition of distilled alcohol
Why doesn’t the addition of distillers alcohol increase the alcoholic volume?
- Because the sake is watered back after the alcohol addition.
What is honjōzō?
- Premium sake made from relatively coarsely polished rice (70% or less) with a small addition of distilled alcohol
How does honjōzō taste in comparison to junmai?
- Similar to junmai: rice/cereal, earthy/spice flavours, but slightly lighter in body
What does tokubetsu translate to?
Special
How can sake qualify for the labelling term tokubetsu?
Three ways:
- Be polished to less than 60%
- Be made only from sake-specific rice
- Include some other process that the brewer has arranged to be legally recognised.
True or false:
- Sake made from rice with a polishing rate of 71% or more and the addition of distilled alcohol cannot be called honjōzō.
- True.
- Honjōzō must be polished to 70% or less.
True or false:
Sake made from rice with a polishing rate of 71% or more cannot be called junmai.
False.
- There is no stipulated polishing ratio for junmai, although unpolished rice is rarely used.
True or false:
Tokubetsu sake can only be labelled as such if it has a polishing rate of 60% or less.
False.
- A polishing rate of 60% can be one way to qualify for use of the term tokubetsu, but there are also other factors that can qualify the sake to use the term.
- sake specific rice
- a legally recognised production process
What is the required polishing rate for honjōzō?
70% or less
What is the required polishing rate for junmai?
There is no minimum polishing rate for junmai
What is kimoto?
- An older, slower method for the fermentation starter.
- Produce higher acidity, and more depth and complexity.
What is yamahai?
- A simplified version of kimoto.
- It also produces higher acidity, and more depth and complexity.
What is muroka?
- A sake that has not been fined with active charcoal to remove colour.
- Muroka sake is typically pale lemon-green or lemon in appearance
What does the labelling term nama mean?
- A sake that has not been pasteurised.
What is nama-chozō?
- A sake that is stored unpasteurised but is pasteurised at the time of shipment.
What is genshu?
- A sake that has not had water added before bottling.
- These sakes can be a little higher in alcohol but the brewer can also manage the ferment so that it finishes in the normal range of 15-17% abv.
Of the terms nama, nama-chozō, genshu, muroka, kimoto and yamahai, which are legally defined?
- Nama
- Nama-chozō
- Genshu
Is yamahai a legally defined term?
No
Is kimoto a legally defined term?
No
Is nama a legally defined term?
Yes
Is nama-chozō a legally defined term?
Yes
Is genshu a legally defined term?
Yes
Is muroka a legally defined term?
No
What is kake (or kake-mai)?
An abbreviation of kake-mai.
- The rice used for the steamed rice that is not kōji. - Once cooled, it is moved directly to the fermentation vessel.
What is the Japanese term for ‘sake meter value (SMV)’?
Nihonshu-do
True or false:
On a label, Japanese laws allow producers to express abv as a range, rather than an exact figure (ie. 15-16% abv)
True
What is kōbo?
Yeast
Is taru-zake a legally defined term?
Yes
Is koshu a legally defined term?
No, although legislation determines how age statements for koshu can be expressed
Is nigori a legally defined term?
No
Is kijōshu a legally defined term?
No
What does the labelling term nigori mean?
- A sake that has been roughly filtered, or is a blend of roughly filtered and clear sake.
- The sake is cloudy because it has suspended particles of rice.
What does the labelling term koshu mean?
- These sakes are aged for an extended period.
- They are often gold or amber in colour, and have complex aromas of honey, toast, nuts, dried fruit and pickled vegetables.
What does the labelling term kijōshu mean?
- Nearly all sake have some unfermented sugar, but kijōshu have so much residual sugar that they can be described as sweet or luscious.
What does the labelling term taru-zake mean?
- A sake that has been aged in a Japanese cedar barrel and picked up distinctive aromas.
Is there a widely used Japanese term for sparkling sake?
- Not really. There is in Japan of course, but in export markets, effervescent or fizzy sake is simply called sparkling.
Is the nihonshu-do an accurate indication of sweetness?
- Not really - it’s a rough indicator.
- It is a measure of the relative density of sake in comparison to water. Both alcohol and sugar contribute to density.
What does a positive value on the nihonshu-do mean?
A normal to drier style sake.
What does a negative value on the nihonshu-do mean?
A sweeter style sake
What likely a sake with a nihonshu-do value of -30 to -100 be labelled as?
Kijōshu - it is a sweeter style sake
What is the ‘most normal’ range for sake on the nihonshu-do scale?
-2 to +8
What is the average nihonshu-do value?
+4
This is equivalent to approximately 17g/L
What does a nihonshu-do value of +4 correspond to in grams per litre?
Approximately 17 g/L
Is it common to have a SMV value higher than +10?
Not really - these sakes would be marketed on their dryness.
What is the compulsory information legally required on a sake label?
- the product category (either sei-shu or nihon-shu, both mean sake)
- alcohol content by volume (%abv)
- total volume of the container
- raw ingredients
- date produced
- brewery name and address (and country of origin if not from Japan)
What is sei-shu?
The Japanese word for sake
Which western year is Heisei 30?
2018
What is the brewing year or BY that is indicated on some labels?
- 1 July to 31st June
T- his is because sake is produced throughout the winter which crosses two calendar years.
- Thus if 2018 is Heisei 30, a sake made in January 2019 could also be labelled BY30
What are some optional labellig terms that could be used for sake?
- Rice variety or varieties
- Age statement
- Production locally
- Terms indication production method or style
- Medals and awards
What does the labelling term ki-ippon mean?
- A junmai sake that has been entirely produced at a single site.
Is ki-ippon a legally defined term?
Yes
Are production localities legally registered as a Geographic Indication?
- No.
- The location generally indicates the location of the brewery rather than where the rice was grown, although these are sometimes the same.
Sake can be divided into which two categories?
basic sake and premium sake
Six of the eight premium sake grades are defined according to which two aspect?
- the polishing ration of the rice (seimai-buai)
- whether any distilled alcohol (Jōzō arukōru) was added before filtration
Definition of sake called tokubetsu
- the use of a particular polishing rate
- The use of certain production processes.
Minimum percentage of kōji used in premium sake
15%
What is the production share of the four ginjo grades account for in Japan?
- just over a third of the premium sake made in Japan.
How junmai or honjōzō is made?
- ricek polished coarsely to more than 60% remain
- more flavour: from proteins, lipids, vitamins and minerals
- more nutrients to the yeast, so the fermentation is faster and warmer
- lower levels of fruity aromas
- fuller-bodied
- more rice/cereal and earth/spice flavours
How is the junmai or honjōzō labelled?
- No separate labelling term, if the label without mentioning ginjo or daijinjo, then it’s likely to be in this style.
What is the legal labelling term that indicates distilled alcohol has been added?
There is none.
SMV value higher than ?? is unusual? Such sake will be often marketd based on their dryness.
+10
What is the term “date produced” on labek means?
this is a translation from Japanese and generally refers to the date when the sake was bottled for sale, or a release date
Hence the “date produced” won’t tell you how old is the sake, only which date it is released onto the market.
Which terms indicating production method or style have a legal definition?
- nama
- nama-chozō
- genshu
- taru-zake
Which terms are not legally defined but still can be used on a label?
- kimoto
- yamahai
- muroka
- nigori
- koshu
- kijoshu
Which commonly used terms related to pasteurisation and filtration fractions or methods are legally undefinied?
- nama-zume
- hiya-oroshi
- arabashiri
- naka-dori
- naka-gumi
- funa-shibori
- to-bin gakoi
