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
