720ml and 500ml sake available now!

Here is our 720ml and 500ml sake list including the new items we received this month.

The delivery cost to addresses in Sydney metropolitan area is $15.00 (flat rate).To the rest of Australia, please check by using our shipping cost estimator on our online shopping cart.

For the details of each sake, please click the picture.

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Junmai Daiginjo :

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Junmai Ginjo :

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Junmai :

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Junmai Koshu (Aged sake) :

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Junmai Nama (Unpasteurized sake) :

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Junmai Umeshu (Plum wine) :

Izumibashi-shuzo

I visited 'Izumibashi-shuzo' in Kanagawa on 6th September.

Izumibashi says that sake brewing includes rice farming.  Izumibashi have their own rice field and they also get some rice from farmers in the area who they have built a very close relationship with.

When I visited them, the Kamenoo rice was almost ready for harvesting. The others, Yamadanishiki and Omachi, were still young. Kamenoo's origin is Tohoku. So Kamenoo grows earlier in Kanagawa, then Yamadanishiki (Hyogo) and Omachi (Okayama) grow later. It was very interesting to see the rice with different origins all at the same time.

They do not use chemical fertilizers or agricultural chemicals on most of their rice.

Recently many breweries use organic or organically grown rice for their sake. Organic farming is good for our environment and our health. But the main reason of using organic rice is much simpler. They can make really good sake by using these rice.

 Kamenoo rice.

 The white long bristles are the Kamonoo's trademark.

The bristles make the beautiful color of 'Nishiki-iro'.

 Yamadanishiki rice.

 Omachi rice.

 Yamadanishiki (left) is much taller than Omachi (right).

 A Japanese ute with the Izumibashi-mark (under 600cc engine).

 A huge rice polishing machine.

 His new machine!

 They used to use this boat when there was flooding (a long time ago).

Hihou - Japanese bar in Melbourne

We have started distributing in Melbourne. Now you can try good sake and shochu at a newly open Japanese bar Hihou in Melbourne.

http://hihou.com.au/

http://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/food-and-drink/article/simon-denton-unveils-hihou

My visit to Shinkame

On 31st August, I (Taka) visited a brewery 'Shinkame-shuzo' in Saitama. 

In 1987 this brewery became the first to change to producing only Junmaishu. This was an epoch-making event. The brewers' emphasis was on ageing the sake.

Breweries make sake in winter, so I could not see the sake making process. However I got  some interesting things from this visit.

This summer in Japan was really hot. Over 30˚C outside everyday.

A big beetle in the backyard. This beetle is a symbol of summer in Japan.

At the office, his favorite cat クララ (Clara) is happy in her box.

Shinkame sake ageing in the sake tanks.

This is the cold ageing room (-10˚C). Daiginjo & Ginjo sake is in this room for couple years.

The top of the sake fermentation tanks.

They use these parts on top of the tanks. So there is no chance the workers will fall into the large tanks.

These tanks are for the middle brewing stage between the yeast starter and the main mush. I haven't seen these middle size tanks at other breweries, but Mr Ogawahara says everyone used to use them a long time ago. The temperature control is easy by using these tanks.

Return to the office, Mr. Ogawahara is happy with his favorite cat, クララ (Clara).

The 'Shinkame shop' next to the brewery building.

They have a good selection of sake (Of course!).

On the rice wine trail

Here is an article talking about Sake (and SAKENET).

< click here! >

Writer, Robin Powell understands Sake well. She attended our Sakegura-Tour in March 2012 and visited four breweries and local restaurants serving good sake and food.

The next Sakagura-Tour has been planned around Christmas this year. Please contact us by email if you are interested. ( info@sakenet.com.au )

'nom' in Darlinghurst, Sydney

Good news for sake lovers in Sydney!
A new sake spot 'nom' has opened in Darlinghurst.

 

Long time, former Toriciya's manageress, Ms Kinuko Uriu has opened 'nom'.
She has experience of managing a Japanese restaurant in Sydney for a long time and she has excellent knowledge of sake. Sakenet will be supplying sake to her new restaurant 'nom'.

166 Riley Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
open Mon - Sat, 11am - 9pm

sake and shochu from $5/glass
sake-no-tsumami (snacks) from $3

Kimoto

Kimoto is one of the key words of Sake. There are lots of websites explaining this word in Japanese. Even in English we can find some articles.

e.g.
http://www.daishichi.com/english/theme_park/data_menu.html
http://sakeaustralia.com/2012/01/25/kimoto/

In short, Kimoto (and Yamahai) Sake uses wild lactic acid bacteria for getting the lactic acid. Originally they used wild yeast too. (Some breweries use wild yeast even now.)

My partner did a kind of Kimoto method for her sourdough bread making. For the yeast starter, she used only (organic) wheat flour and water. So the yeast and the lactic acid bacteria is both wild. It is the best bread she has ever made.

Is Junmaishu the next trend in Australia?!

Here is an article through The Sydney Morning Herald about a sake importer, Black Market Sake. We noticed they have a similar passion for Junmaishu.

 

Please click above picture link to go to the article.

Kan-wine (?)

Do you remember our previous post about "Kan-zake"? One of sake's unique characters is that sake has different characters at different temperatures. (However today's topic is not about sake but wine.)

This wine is "Le Péché Mignon" 2008 Pinot noir, King valley. I purchased it in Beechworth, and I quite like it. But I was very tired after playing a futsal game, so it tasted too heavy for me today. Then I decided trying this wine at a warmer temperature.

I heated it to around 40℃ (or possibly slightly higher?) The acidity was activated but the mildness was also increased. The balance of the acidity and mildness was good, and the acidity felt more gentle than when it was cold for my tired body.

I don't think every wine can be heated, but I just found some of them could be. "Kan-wine" has some possibility for me now.

* Every sake is not good heated either. It must be a well made junmai-shu. Many of them are designed to be drunk warm.

Sake wa Junmai 2012 (report #5) : Wineries in Beechworth

Continuing on from our last post, some brewers visited Beechworth on 10th July.

Bridge road breweries, nice pizza and beer tasting for lunch.

 The pizza restaurant is also a beer brewery, 

we took a tour of the factory.

 After lunch, we visited 2 wineries; Savaterre and Giaconda.

 The entrance of the cave (wine cellar) at Giaconda

 The cave is full of wine barrels.

 We tasted some very rare wine from Savaterre and Giaconda.

 The tasting was very serious.

This is very rare picture too, 

five top brewers from Australia and Japan.

Thank you, Keppell (Savaterre), Nobue-san (Savaterre) and Peter (Giaconda) for having us.