From Taste Daily: Sake to Me
Wine lists don’t scare me. I typically have a greater variety of beers in my house than most bars have on draft. But sake is another story. With the recent spate of pan-Asian openings, I’ve found myself deciphering the offerings and sampling the wares. Here’s my advice on getting acquainted with the world of rice wine.
• Skip the hot stuff. It’s usually of lesser quality and its aroma is lost as the alcoholic vapors assault your nose as they rise from the heated glass.
• Read the list and make inferences based on your wine preferences. Good menus will let you know which sakes are dry, light, crisp or floral. Raw has a good plain-language sake list that offers plenty of info for the newbie.
• Never hesitate to ask. On a recent trip to Azie, whose list is less descriptive than some, I was amazed by my server’s ability to rattle off knowledgeable descriptions of each choice. I had a similar encounter with a smarty pants server at Pearl.
• I look for a combination of these two words: Junmai, which means no additional alcohol has been added, and Ginjo, which refers to a medium-high level of refinement (at least 40 percent of the grain has been polished away.)
• Get educated. The upcoming Sake Fest at the Loews on April 9th will be a terrific opportunity to taste a variety of styles—always the best and most fun way to learn.
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