Top 4 Sake for Wine Lovers

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Here we’re going to be making a bit of a wacky attempt to introduce you to sake you might like depending on the kind of wine you like. It’s a bit of a stretch, but we have to try! Please keep in mind that the worlds of sake and wine are quite different, and none of these will be comparable one-to-one; they’re only similar in terms of notes. Headings are the wine varietal followed by the specific bottle of sake we would recommend for lovers of that varietal. Let’s get to it!

Reisling — Dassai 45 (獺祭)

This is one of the tried and true entry points into the sake world. Much like what you might find in a Reisling, Dassai 45 exhibits florals with apple-like notes and a touch of sweetness.

Dassai is made by Asahi Brewery in Yamaguchi, and they’re known for only making sake that’s junmai daiginjo, meaning they focus on polishing their rice down much further than most breweries do. Their top-of-the-line product, Dassai 23, is made with rice polished down to just 23% of its original size, which is almost unheard of! We think it’s very cool.

By the way, this Asahi bears no relation to the Asahi of beer-brewing fame! Their kanji are even different, this one being “旭” and the beer one historically being “朝日.”

Chardonnay — Hanaabi (花陽浴) and Kameizumi CEL-24 (亀泉)

We could have put Verdelho or some other lesser-known wines here, but we figure Chardonnay will suffice. What makes these two related? Pineapple!

Chardonnay, particularly new-world, is often noted as having a distinct pineapple note, and Hanaabi is a brand famous for exactly that, particularly their shiny-labeled, unfiltered nama genshu bottles. They’re also an excellent choice for learning about different how different rice varietals affect flavor within a single brewery’s lineup; they produce sake made from Yamada Nishiki, Hattan Nishiki, Omachi, and more.

Hanaabi is from Nanyo Brewery in Saitama. They’re not a huge operation, and they don’t even have a fully fleshed out website! You can, however, find some shots from behind the scenes on their Instagram, which we love.

We think Hanaabi’s nama genshu series is likely difficult to find abroad, so we’re also mentioning Kameizumi’s CEL-24 as another popular option. It’s often noted as having a pineapple note tucked into a symphony of other big, juicy, fruity ones.

Kameizumi CEL-24 is made by, well, Kameizumi! Their brewery is out in Kochi, which is quite off the beaten path, but their distribution is quite good! We’ve seen them at izakaya all around Tokyo.

Pinot Noir — Shichida Junmai (七田)

We only tried this sake relatively recently. Why Pinot Noir? Because cherries! Shichida Junmai contains a forward cherry note backed up by a strong, creamy, yogurty note. Trust us; it’s delicious.

Shichida is made by Tenzan Brewery in Saga, a brewery with a long history — they were established in 1875!

Moscato/Muscat — Kaze no Mori (風の森)

To top it all off, delicious fruit! If you’re a fan of somewhat sweet, punchy, fruity wines like Moscato, then Kaze no Mori is the brand for you to try — much like Dassai, it’s an entry point that leads to obsession for many. Plus, their bottles tend to have a touch of fizz, much like what you’d find in a Moscato d’Asti! A pretty apt comparison if we do say so.

Kaze no Mori hails from Nara and is brewed by Yucho Brewery, which has been around longer than any of the others on our list — since 1719!

And with that, we’re done! We hope you’ll seek out some of these bottles for yourself and find that they open up a new world to you. We think they almost certainly will!