Sake popularity grows despite its mystique

People have plenty of questions about sake.

Is it wine or is it beer? Do I drink it warm, do I drink it cold? What makes one so affordable and another so pricey? This swirl of confusion hasn't stopped Americans from enjoying sake more than ever before.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, sake sales have doubled in the past decade; the numbers mirroring sake's decline in Japan and reflecting brewers' urgency to find new markets. The boom has also been sparked by America's growing palate for sushi, just as Italian wine found its U.S. niche when pasta replaced meat-and-potatoes on our dinner tables in the 1980s.

Because sake is produced from grain, it is technically a brewed beverage, like beer. Its newfound popularity, however, is based on the finest styles, crafted to be delicately chilled and appreciated like fine wine, even to the point of being served in stemmed glassware.

Sake has five basic ingredients: rice, water, koji, yeast and sometimes distilled spirit.

Sake rice (called sakamai) is prized for size - 25 percent larger than table rice - and for its "white heart" (shinpaku), where pure starch is concentrated. There are roughly 75 strains of sakamai including yamada nishiki, "the King of sake rice," and its direct ancestor, watari bune.

Water is at the center of sake production, with all of the historic breweries built around celebrated water sources. Producers in modern-day Kyoto, for instance, point to their soft water that yields soft "feminine" sake. Harder water, found in modern-day Kobe, produces concentrated, "masculine" sake.

Koji is a mold that converts sakamai's starch into simple sugar, which feeds one of 50 varieties of sake yeast to stimulate fermentation.

While aficionado's point to subtleties each ingredient contributes to flavor, the rest of us can look to sake labels for two fundamental distinctions: the addition of distilled spirit and the polishing of rice.

For centuries, distilled spirit has been added to bulk up sake's potency and quantity. Today, these are the so-called "industrial" sakes, poured from spigots and served warm in sushi spots across the globe.

Honjozo sake contains distilled spirit but only 5 percent, enough to enhance aroma and crisp texture.

Sake with no distillate is "pure rice" sake or junmai. Junmai may not have the uplifted aroma of honjozo but does express more complex flavor and lasting finish.

The next distinction separates sake grain from the chaff, figuratively and almost literally.

All rice is comprised of starch, fats and proteins. Because fat and protein yield dull flavors, brewers polish each sakamai grain to express its pure "white heart."

Most sake is polished 30 percent, with 70 percent of each grain remaining. Ginjo sake is produced from rice polished 40 percent, with 60 percent of each grain remaining. Daiginjo sake is produced from rice polished 50 percent, with 50 percent of each grain remaining.

In contrast to the modern taste in wine, ginjo and daiginjo are prized (and priced) for their delicacy, grace and purity of flavor.

While labels generally won't read honjozo, they will state junmai, ginjo and daiginjo. Once you've mastered these basics, another style worth exploring is nigori.

Nigori is bottled with rice solids and lees (spent yeast cells) for creamy texture and sweet flavor. To me, nigori is the milk shake of sakes. To serve, gently tip the bottle to incorporate solids throughout the liquid.

With more than 1,500 Japanese sake breweries, finding one specific sake may be frustrating. As always, your best friend is a trusted merchant or sommelier. To help you start your exploration, here are some sakes that I've recently enjoyed:

Karan "Coy" Junmai - With rose-petal aroma, delicately sweet, anise-like flavors and a pretty, frosted pink bottle, this is a gentle quaff for luncheons, showers and cream-based dishes (about $17.99 per 500 ml).

Chikurin Karoyaka "Lightness" Junmai Ginjo - Delicate black licorice and herbal notes to complement shellfish, oysters, salads and sushi (about $19.99 per 300 ml).

Watari Bune "55" Junmai Ginjo - Rich aroma of honeydew and pineapple offset by nutty, earthy flavors to pair with rich seafood (this brewery's region is famous for monkfish), pate, duck and stews. (about $18.99 per 300 ml).

Kanpai (kahn-PIE)! Cheers!

Advanced sommelier and certified wine educator Mary Ross writes Good Wine twice a month in Food.