Japanese wines can be safely attributed to rare and unique drinks with an original taste. One of the first references to the production of such wines dates back to the year 1697. The inhabitants of this country have particular attention to this drink. It is customary to even bring rice wine as a gift, while wishing a person peace, good and long life. Of these wines, the main place is occupied by the classic one, made from nihonshu grains, which is also called sake. Most Japanese families even have their own homemade recipe for making a tasty and healthy drink.
Rice Wine - Sake
Sake has a strength of up to about 18%, depending on the variety. And there are countless varieties of this drink. According to statistics, in the Land of the Rising Sun, there are about two and a half thousand small and large enterprises for the production of sake. In fact, everything is much larger, since at home it is also prepared in almost every self-respecting house. Rice wine is an object of national pride of the inhabitants of the island and is directly associated with the concept of "small homeland" ("furusato").
As usual, a little history
The origin and manufacture of Japanese wine is rooted in ancient times. They drank it more than two millennia ago and just like that, and used it in terms of divine offerings. In ancient Japan, isolated from the rest of the world, sweet rice wine was brewed in distilleries at the emperor’s court or in monasteries. And sake itself was an integral part of the menu of all kinds of Shinto festivities. And since the 12th century, the villagers have been mastering winemaking, and it is gradually becoming an indispensable component of Japanese customs and traditions. Rice wine performs this function to this day, although in modern life it is pressed by strong and not too foreign drinks - whiskey and beer, rooted in local soil.
Some subtleties of names
Previously, the name "sake" refers only to a rice drink. But over time, with the delivery to Japan of other alcoholic beverages, this terminology began to spread to a wider range - applying to all brands, including a certain degree. Under this name now fall and whiskey, grape brandy, and even vodka. By the way, locals call rice alcohol “sei-syu” or “nihon-syu” (which means: Japanese wine), distinguishing it from “yo-syu” (wine from Europe).
Japanese rice wine
This drink, sometimes also called vodka from the beans of the same name, tastes more like liquor. Actively used sweet rice wine in Japanese cuisine. The alcohol component is not too large: from 14% and slightly higher. And wine production is more associated with the process of brewing strong beer. Its taste is soft and delicate, sometimes notes of sherry are significant, bitterness is barely noticeable, grape-apple or banana taste is slightly visible. For production, a type of rice is used, in which round, heavy grains with a considerable amount of starch are used. Omati and Yamadanisiki are considered the best varieties for production. Particularly close attention is paid to the quality of water. Unacceptable iron with manganese. But there must be (in reasonable quantities, of course) calcium and potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.
Cook at home
It is quite possible to make rice wine at home, although the process will be troublesome, while the results will certainly surprise you.
Useful Tips:
- To produce high-quality wine, you need the right basic ingredient. Grains must always be round and unpolished. They should not be washed in any way, since natural yeast (koji) is on the plane, which contributes to a more efficient fermentation of the wort.
- Before cooking, be sure to evaluate the quality of rice! To do this, put a little cereal in a bowl, moisten with warm water (no more than 40 degrees) so that it covers the grain completely. Set aside for several days in a warm place. If it dries or rot begins, you will need to replace this important ingredient. If fermentation has begun, the raw materials are recognized as suitable for the production of homemade sake.
- Attention: without koji dispute it is impossible to make high-quality wine. They give a unique aroma and spicy flavor to this sake. Koji converts starches in rice into sugar. As a result, the wine comes out tasty without the introduction of sugar in its composition. It is quite realistic, of course, to choose recipes that do not have this ingredient, but the taste, the final product will be much worse. If you didn’t manage to get the relevant disputes (on the Internet or in the store for winemakers), then you can replace them with a natural product - koji rice, on which these fungi live.
How to reduce the degree?
If the wine from rice came out extremely strong in terms of alcohol content, it will be extremely simple to lower the degree: you need to add a small spoonful of sugar to the vessel, close and shake until completely dissolved.
Homemade sake is usually stored for no more than a month. To extend the time, it must be sterilized. To do this, lower the vessel for a quarter of an hour in water heated to 60 degrees. Then cool and put in cold storage.
Recipe. The right ingredients
For each glass of grains we take: one and a half glasses of good water, one hundred grams of spore koji grams, half lemon juice, half a small spoonful of baking yeast. Depending on the intended amount of sake to be prepared, the volumes of ingredients are proportionally increased.
Cooking
- Put rice in a container and fill it with water. Set aside for the night, soaking so that the wine turns out more fragrant.
- Cooking. This process can be performed both in a pot and in a double boiler. Cook for a long time, over low heat. The finished (even - digested) product is cooled.
- Squeeze a little lemon juice into the water, stirring. Then put the rice in a fermentation tank (make sure that there is less air).
- Add water and yeast. Close the dishes and shake until a homogeneous mass.
- We put the must in the bank in a cool and dark place, and open the lid.
- The jar needs to be shaken daily. From the moment the fermentation process begins, the sake should stand for about three weeks (until the bubbles disappear).
- Drain the wine through cheesecloth and colander, and squeeze the rice. Received sake, if we do everything according to the recipe, will be a strength of 14-21 degrees.