Sake Blossoms: The World’s Greatest Sake and ‘Ume’ Plum Blossoms

March 2, 2009 15 Comments

The World’s Greatest Sake and ‘Ume’ Plum Blossoms 上原酒造不老泉・杣の天狗

Sake Blossoms: On a late winter morning in Kyoto you can find delicate flakes on a stone pavement and pause to investigate whether they are snow or plum petals. Of course the presence of a penetrating fragrance tips you off. Several years ago, while walking my dog on a snowy…

What is Ryorishu? Japanese Cooking Sake

February 28, 2009 5 Comments

Itadakimono: Recently I visited my favorite sake brewery, Uehara Sake Brewery in rural Shiga prefecture. Before I left, Mr Uehara, the owner, gave me a bottle of the brewery’s cooking sake, which is not sold in retails stores, but to exclusive, ‘hidden’ restaurants. Most cooking sake contains salt so that it can be sold in grocery stores, but not…

Kyoto Sake: Learning to Make Hannari Brand Umeshu in Fushimi – part 2

June 23, 2008 4 Comments

This entry is part 6 of 7 in the series Kitagawa Honke Sake Brewery

Kyoto Sake: Learning to Make Hannari Brand Umeshu in Fushimi – part 2 (北川本家はんなり梅酒)

Kyoto Sake: Learning to Make Umeshu in Fushimi (北川本家はんなり梅酒

Hannari Brand Umeshu: The tastes of Kyoto are subtle and refined, this umeshu was designed to be hannari, or delicate. In addition to classic umeshu, there are four imaginatively ‘Kyoto’…

Kyoto Sake: Learning to Make Umeshu in Fushimi – part 1

June 18, 2008 17 Comments

Kyoto Sake: Learning to Make Umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur) in Fushimi – part 1

Umeshu: Japanese plums, called ume (梅) are mainly used to flavor alcohol and vinegar and to make the incredible umeboshi, pickled plum. In early summer, it is popular to make ume flavored alcohol, called umeshu (梅酒) at home, but we were fortunate enough to get…

Taue (Rice Planting): Planting Yamada Nishiki in Rural Kyoto Prefecture for Next Year’s Sake

May 24, 2008 7 Comments

This entry is part 6 of 7 in the series Kitagawa Honke Sake Brewery

Taue (Rice Planting): Planting Yamada Nishiki in Rural Kyoto Prefecture for Next Year’s Sake

Taue: Rice Planting in Rural Kyoto Prefecture

Taue (田植) means rice planting, or properly, rice transplanting as seedlings are first grown in a protected area such as a greenhouse and then transplanted to the rice paddy. Kitagawa Honke Sake…

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