Long Island Wine Country Has A Taste Of Sake

Bookended by some of the East End’s favorite wineries, like Channing Daughters Winery and Wölffer Estate Vineyard, there is a real Japanese sake scene on the South Fork.

Hisao Shiroyama opened Yama-Q in Bridgehampton almost 20 years ago and has offered a wide selection of sake to patrons. However, often guests don’t know which sake to choose, he added.

“Sake is from Japan and we serve Japanese food here, so automatically it goes well with what’s on the menu,” Mr. Shiroyama said. “Some people know very much about their wine, but not many people know a whole lot about sake. But with Japanese food gaining popularity over the last decade, people—especially coming from the New York City area—want to learn more.”

Some just settle on hot sake to warm up their insides, but Mr. Shiroyama said only certain sake should be heated up and shouldn’t be served piping hot.

“And not all sake is the same sake,” he said. Mr. Shiroyama said hot sake should be served no hotter than body temperature. When sake is at a boil, alcohol turns into vapor.

“The flavor boils away,” he continued.

Those that know more about sake opt for cold sake.

Sake can be broken down into three main categories: Junmai, Junmai Ginjo and Junmai Daiginjo—arguably, like red, white and rosé wine.

The difference is how much the rice is milled in the brewing process.

The beverage is more akin to beer than wine in the fermentation process. Beer starts off with a grain like wheat or barley that is cooked down into its most basic starch. Commonly called a rice wine, sake is similarly brewed with rice.

Jesse Matsuoka, a sake sommelier and owner of Sen restaurant in Sag Harbor, said where the rice and water comes from matters most. It can be like comparing Argentinian grapes to those grown in Italy or Napa Valley. Guinness made in Ireland tastes way different than what’s brewed in Baltimore.

“I have a passion for it to the point of getting my hands dirty in the process,” Mr. Matsuoka said. “The rice is a very key ingredient and the water comes second. Depending on where you are, the water really reflects in a lot of the taste profile whereas the yeast lends itself to the fragrance.”

The categories of sake—Junmai, Junmai Ginjo and Junmai Daiginjo—don’t scale in sweetness or dryness, but rather rely on other metrics that describe its profile—namely, rice polishing rate, sake meter value and alcohol percentage.

Unlike beer—with an average alcohol percentage of 4.5—and wine—averaging 11.5 percent alcohol—sake leads the pack with 20 percent for undiluted brews. Many brands dilute their sake with water lowering it to 15 percent on average.

Polishing rate describes how much rice is milled. In order for the beverage to be named Junmai Ginjo, the rice must be crushed 40 percent. Daiginjo is 50 percent milled, and the rice grain is left whole in Junmai sake. The higher the amount of grain left, the less the rice has been reduced to a sugar.

Sen carries more than 20 different sake choices on its menu.

“One of the fun things about my job is being able to inspire my guests—from learning what they like and then translating that into the world of sake,” Mr. Matsuoka said. “A lot of people will know exactly what they enjoy, whether it’s a type of beer, wine or liquor. Maybe they drink more vodka than they do whiskey—or vice versa. That will be a guide for me to then put them into a realm in sake that will reflect the same taste profile.”

Mr. Matsuoka said Born Junmai Daiginjo Gold is one of the most popular sake on the menu at Sen. It has a clean, crisp taste best consumed along side a lighter fish—like yellowtail—from the sushi bar. This particular Junmai Daiginjo goes for about $86 a bottle, or $18 a glass.

For more full-bodied sake that can cut through the fattier eel, steak or teriyaki, Hakkaisan—a Junmai Ginjo sake—is a bolder choice. It runs about $74 a bottle, or $16 a glass.

Yuki No Bosha is more of an all-around, everyday sake, going for about $160 for a 1.8-liter bottle, or $14 a glass.

Also, while his restaurant was under renovations in March, Mr. Matsuoka went to Brooklyn Kura—the first American craft sake brewery in New York—to help create a batch of sake, which Sen now serves.

“One thing that we are bringing back to Sen is our sake Sundays,” Mr. Matsuoka said. “They are easy classes to talk about sake with tastings and pairing it with food. Pretty much the whole sake menu is up for grabs. I’ll crack open just about anything at that point to just let people try it and enjoy what we have to offer.”