Chūbu: Nagano Flashcards
What is notable about Nagano’s climate?
Extremely alpine
High altitudes on even the plateaus means the diurnal range is high, good for cultivating sake rice
The northern parts of the prefecture accumulates heavier snowfall than the south
The northeast undergoes a rain shadow effect due to the Hida range
Summers offer a short growing season, contrasting with long winters
What does Nagano’s alpine environment mean for its food culture?
Relative isolation due to the mountains created a reliance on preserved / salted / pickled foods
This has in turn affected the prefectural sake style
Which three mountain ranges border or run through Nagano?
Hida Mountains (Northern Alps)
Kiso Mountains (Central Alps)
Akaishi Mountains (Southern Alps) [赤石=’red stone’]
The Akaishi Mountains are the sources of which two rivers?
The Akaishi River (a tributary of the Ōi River)
Tenryū River (running from Lake Suwa)
What are Nagano’s four key regions?
Suwa 諏訪
Matsumoto 松本
Nagano 長野
Saku 佐久
Key facts about Nagano’s Suwa region
- Central Nagano
- Located on Lake Suwa
- Still also known by the older name Shinsu
- Surrounded by the peaks of the
- Yatsugatake Range
- Mt Tateshina
- Kirigamine Highlands
- Lake Suwa famous for the O-miwatari ‘God’s crossing’ phenomenon, where large ridges of ice form on the surface of the lake
Key facts about Nagano’s Matsumoto region
- Located in the Hida mountain valley
- Azumino region is renowned for its high quality water and rice
- Also home to world’s largest wasabi farm
- testament to purity of water
Key facts about Nagano prefecture’s Nagano region
- Originally the capital city of the prefecture
- Developed around Zenkō-ji, a famous Buddhist temple
- Receives heavy snowfall during winter months but otherwise receives very low precipitation throughout the year
Key facts about Nagano’s Saku region
- Farthest point from the sea in Japan
- Located at the foot of Mount Asuma
- Japan’s longest river, Chikuma river, runs through here
Ranked 10th in terms of volume of sake it produces, Nagano is ranked 2nd in number of breweries, only behind its neighbour ______.
Ranked 10th in terms of volume of sake it produces, Nagano is ranked 2nd in number of breweries, only behind its neighbour Niigata.
Nagano’s futsū, honjōzō and junmai tend to be ____ and ____ with a rounded ______
Nagano’s futsū, honjōzō and junmai tend to be rich and full with a rounded sweetness
Kyōkai Yeast no. 7 was discovered at Nagano’s ________ ____
Kyōkai Yeast no. 7 was discovered at Nagano’s Miyasaka Jōzō
What are the characteristics of Miyasaka Jōzō yeast (aka Kyōkai no. 7)?
- Isolated in 1946 at Miyasaka Jōzō’s Suwa brewery
- Still widely used throughout Japan for all grades of sake, but now predominantly used for Futsū, Honjōzō, Junmai
- Slightly sweet, fruity characters that are not overly aromatic, but produced some of earliest ginjō-like aromas
- During the ginjō boom, where colder temperature fermentation required yeasts that could ferment vigorously, Kyōkai no. 7 was very popular
What are the characteristics of Alps Yeast?
- Developed in 1993 for ginjō style sake
- Fragrant and fruity sake, with a rich, full flavoured palate
- Aromas of apple, strawberry, and other red fruits
- Ethyl caproate produced is relatively high, leading to pronounced ginjō-ka
- Also know as Nagano C and Nagano D
The water in Nagano can generally be classified as ____ with a handful of sources of moderately ____ brewing water
The water in Nagano can generally be classified as soft with a handful of sources of moderately hard brewing water
What are the three main tōji guilds in Nagano?
Suwa tōji: oldest guild centred around Lake Suwa
Iiyama tōji: centred in the mountainous NE region of Iiyama; smallest of the Nagano guilds
Otari tōji: located in the Kitaazumi district is the village of Otari, north of the village of Hakuba (ski hub during the Nagano Olympics)
Do the Nagano tōji guilds make a distinct style of sake?
No – no distinct style
The guilds are also not as structured and organised like the Nanbu and Echigo tōji
Nagano rice is synonymous with _____ ______, one of the main sakamai used in Japan since its development in the 1970s
Nagano’s long history of developing sake specific rice started in the 1940s, and by the 1950s rice strains like _____ _____ (Miyama Nishiki’s parent) and ______ _____ were the predominant options that brewers used
Nagano rice is synonymous with Miyama Nishiki, one of the main sakamai used in Japan since its development in the 1970s
Nagano’s long history of developing sake specific rice started in the 1940s, and by the 1950s rice strains like Takane Nishiki (Miyama Nishiki’s parent) and Kinmon Nishiki were the predominant options that brewers used
At what altitude does Yamada Nishiki struggle to grow?
At what height can Nagano varieties grow?
Yamada Nishiki struggles to grow over 300m
Nagano varieties can grow at over 700m
Where is rice cultivation in Nagano predominantly carried out?
(four places)
Around the flat plains contained by the river basins of:
Matsumoto
Ina
Saku
Iiyama
Where is known for Kinmon Nishiki cultivation?
Kijimadaira
Where is known for Hitogokochi rice?
Kiso, in the Yoshino district
Azumino
Kitazumi
Where is renowned for Miyama Nishiki?
Azumino and Inadaira
How was Miyama Nishiki developed?
In 1978, by exposing Takane Nishiki to gamma radiation
What are the characteristics of Miyama Nishiki?
- Grows well in the shorter growing season / cooler climate
- Large plump grain
- High ratio of shinpaku
- Low protein content
- Harder than most rice strains –> less aromatics & flavour
- Because it doesn’t full ferment –> rich, full, grainy, layered, yet sharp, crisp, light
- Has parented other strains such as Dewasansan, Akinosei, Yumenokaori (cold climate strains from Tōhoku)
What are the characteristics of Sankei Nishiki?
- One of Nagano’s most recently developed sake rice
- High ratio of shinpaku (perhaps from parent Dewanosato)
- Rice is said to be particularly suited to junmai sake as sweeping flavours derived on palate taper well into a very clean finish
Key facts about Hitogokochi
- Developed in 1995, easier to use cf. Miyama Nishiki
- Capable of producing sake with fruitiness and floral aromas
- Sometimes referred to as shin-miyama-nishiki
- Grows best at altitudes of 450-800m
- Favoured for high yields
- Bigger grain, larger, softer shinpaku than Miyama Nishiki
Key facts about Takane Nishiki
- Developed in 1939 by crossing Hokuriku no. 12 and Tōhoku no. 24
- Harvests earlier than most rice strains
- Ratio of shinpaku occurence is inconsistent
- Delicate milling required as can break easily
- Produces rich, refreshing sake
Key facts about Kinmon Nishiki
- Rare heirloom variety developed in 1956 by crossing Takane Nishiki and Yamada Nishiki
- Declined due to difficulty in cultivating and milling
- Distinctive, complex, well-rounded aromas and umami-filled flavours
- A harder rice, so also typically light and clean on the palate
Key facts about Shirakaba Nishiki
- Developed by exposing Reimei rice to gamma radiation
- Designed to grow well at altitudes above the cultivation area of Miyama Nishiki at around 800m
- Make sake with some sweetness and full bodied palate
- Requires delicate milling as can break easily
When was Nagano GI awarded?
June 30, 2021
What requirements are there for Nagano GI?
- Rice used for GI Nagano must be cultivated within the prefecture and be third grade or higher
- Water is sourced from Nagano
- Kōji rice must be made in Nagano, from rice cultivated in the prefecture
- Brewed, bottled and stored in Nagano
What is Nagano Appellation Control (NAC)?
An initiative which has aimed to protect the integrity of homegrown agricultural products, including junmai-shu, wine, and shōchū
The NAC is recognised as the prefecture’s stamp of approval, and ensures the quality standards are high and typical of the prefecture
Products are submitted and tasted for quality
What are the rules governing NAC Sake?
- Product must only use approved rice cultivated in Nagano, such as Miyama Nishiki
- Must be junmai sake
- Seimeibuai of 70% or less
- All aspects of production must take place in Nagano
- Sampling and inspection of the product must be done in Nagano
What must appear on an NAC Sake label?
Place of production
Classification of Japanese sake
Rice varieties used and ratio of each
Seimaibuai
Brewing place
Sampling site
Bottling date
Production Year
