THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO Copyrighted material, April 2021 BREWERY & DISTILLERY PREFECTURES JAPAN MAP Hokkaido CHINA RUSSIA AMA NO TO Yuzawa, Akita TOKO NORTH KOREA GINGA SHIZUKU Yonezawa, Yamagata KANBARA Aga, Higashikanbara, Niigata SEA OF JAPAN SHIOKAWA Nishi-ku, Niigata City, Niigata YUHO TENTAKA Hakui, Ishikawa Nasu, Tochigi YAMADA SHOTEN Yaotsu, Gifu MANTENSEI Yazu, Tottori MANA 1751 Ono, Fukui MT. FUJI TOKYO RIHAKU Matsue, Shimane TENSEI Chigasaki, Kanagawa TAKAHIRO Ube, Yamaguchi TAKATENJIN Kakegawa, Shizuoka FUKUCHO TOZAI Akitsu, Hiroshima BUSHIDO KONTEKI KAWATSURU Fushimi, Kyoto Kan’onji, Kagawa RIHEI CHIYONOSONO Kagamizu, Miyazaki Yamaga, Kumamoto PACIFIC OCEAN SAKE RICE VARIETIES IN JAPAN A.D. 700 TOTAL ~ USED IN VINE CONNECTIONS SAKE = YEAR SAKE IS BELIEVED 100 17 TO HAVE ORIGINATED IN JAPAN 1,000 NUMBER OF SAKE BREWERIES IN JAPAN TODAY SAKE RICE VS. TABLE RICE 55% HEIGHT: WEIGHT: OF JAPAN’S FARMLAND IS RICE PADDIES sake rice is at sake rice is least 25% taller heavier (weighs 15%-17% than table rice 25-30 grams) AVERAGE ALCOHOL WIDTH: CONTENT: BY VOLUME IN SAKE a grain of sake sake rice has more rice is 20% larger starch, less fat, & LESS THAN 6% than table rice less protein OF ALL JAPANESE SAKE IS CONSIDERED SUPER PREMIUM SAKE GRADE LEVELS 31 NON JUNMAI JUNMAI RICE NUMBER OF PREMIUM Brewed using Rice, Brewed using Rice, MILLED SAKE IMPORTED BY Water, Koji Mold, Water, & Koji Mold only VINE CONNECTIONS & Distilled Alcohol (NO Distilled Alcohol) TO: Increasing quality, price, fragrance, complexity Increasing quality, SUPER PREMIUM JUNMAI AT LEAST 50% 2.6% DAIGINJO (50% or more 3.2% DAIGINJO milled away) high quality 6.2% JUNMAI AT LEAST 60% GINJO (40% or more GINJO milled away) 14.2% PREMIUM AT LEAST 70% HONJOZO (30% or more milled away) 73.8% ALL SAKE MADE LOW GRADE LOW JUNMAI FUTSU “TABLE SAKE” FUTSU “TABLE SAKE” Table sake often uses NONO MMINIMUMINIMUM RREQUIREEQUIRE- automated brewing MENTSMENTS processes and high amounts of distilled Futsu represents about 75% alcohol. of the entire sake market. JUNMAI GINJO & DAIGINJO JUNMAI & TOKUBETSU NON PREMIUM SAKE HONJOZO GINJO & DAIGINJO low quality VINE CONNECTIONS SAKE PORTFOLIO A comprehensive portfolio offering everything from the highest quality everyday sake to the ultimate drinking experience. We have selected top breweries from 13 different Japanese prefectures spanning the entire country, from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Vine Connections is the leading U.S. authority on Japanese sake and is known for its consistency of quality, supply, and price stability. Our approachable sake education, innovative marketing and packaging, and sales materials truly set us apart from our competitors. ABOUT VINE CONNECTIONS Vine Connections leads the charge for representing sake and wines that change minds – unearthing high quality sake and wines, regions, and people who inspire you to become part of the VC movement. Vine Connections is one of the leading authorities and educators in the U.S. for Japanese ginjo sake, along with premium wine from Argentina, Chile, and California. Based in Sausalito, California, Ed Lehrman and Nick Ramkowsky pioneered the first nationally-imported portfolio of artisan wines from Argentina in 1999, and then introduced Japanese ginjo sake from 11 brewers in 2001. These small, traditional family brewers produce the world's most delicious premium sake. In 2013, Vine Connections’ “The New Chile Portfolio” revolutionized the category with boutique wines from Chile’s diverse appellations. VC also represents a set of unique and innovative California wines. Vine Connections champions regions and people that deserve to be known. - UNCORK THE UNEXPECTED - SAKE SENSEI NICK RAMKOWSKY, the co-founder and owner of Vine Connections, has an extraordinary enthusiasm for championing unknown regions. Nick started working as a wine buyer at North Berkeley Wine, a well-known wine shop in the Bay Area, while attending UC Berkeley. Upon graduation, Nick moved to France for a year to explore its wine country, and later began working in wholesale distribution when he returned to the US. He started Vine Connections with Ed in 1999 after a trip to Argentina where they had a vision of the great future of that wine country. Soon after, the company seized the opportunity to import sake and became leading experts in the premium ginjo category. Nick is a visionary who leads VC’s portfolio development, sake and wine quality, supplier relations, and sales strategy. ED LEHRMAN is the co-founder and owner of Vine Connections, and he pairs a passion for sake and wine with a keen business acumen. Ed’s wine career started at the New York premier wine shop, Sherry-Lehmann, after he graduated from Duke University. He soon made it to California to get his MBA at UCLA before moving to SF to work at Kendall-Jackson and later Seagram Classics. He started his first business, Passport Wine Club, in 1994 and Nick became one of his main wholesale suppliers. Ed’s sake epiphany came in 2001 at a dinner in SF where he tasted his first group of incredible ginjo sake with several Japanese brewers. Based in the Sausalito office, Ed is involved in the day-to-day management of Vine Connections. He leads long-term strategy development and oversees all departments. MONICA SAMUELS is one of the country’s most accomplished sake professionals and leads the Vine Connections team through education, marketing, and sales to drive retail, restaurant, and consumer demand. With over 9 years of experience, Monica brings a unique perspective to the industry. She was the Sake Ambassador at Southern Wine & Spirits in New York as well as the Corporate Sake Somme- lier at the Sushi Samba restaurant group. She has a unique understanding of pairing sake with food, particularly outside of traditional Japanese settings. Monica holds several professional sake honors, including an esteemed judging role for the annual US National Sake Appraisal. She was recently named a “Top 40 under 40 – America’s Most Influ- ential Tastemakers” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Additionally, Monica is a Level 3 Certified Instructor for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and has lectured on sake for the Culi- nary Institute of America’s academic program. JOHN GAUNTNER is recognized as the world’s leading non-Japanese sake author- ity and expert. John was instrumental in compiling the Vine Connections sake portfolio. A long- time resident of Japan, he has written several books and articles about sake and is often regarded by the industry as the person who made sake popular outside of Japan. John is the only non-Japanese certified Master of Sake Tasting in the world and has also achieved the very difficult Sake Expert Assessor certification from Japan’s National Research Institute of Brewing. No other non-Japanese in the world has both of these certifications. He is the founder of the not-for-profit Sake Education Council and has educated over one thou- sand sake professionals worldwide through his Sake Professional Course. STEPS OF SAKE PRODUCTION RICE HARVESTING RICE POLISHING WASHING SOAKING STEAMING COOLING 1-2 MOS steamed rice 60% REMAIN AVG ~48 HRS EACH BATCH ~1 HR MAIN PRESSING FERMENTATION MASH THREE STEP ADDITIONS YEAST STARTER KOJI PRODUCTION raw sake 30-40 DAYS 4 DAYS 2 WEEKS 2-3 DAYS FILTRATION* DILUTION* BOTTLING* PASTEURIZATION* MATURATION* 6 MOS - 1 YEAR ©2014 MONICA SAMUELS AND JULIE QIU * = steps are optional STEPS OF SAKE PRODUCTION RICE HARVESTING RICE POLISHING WASHING SOAKING STEAMING COOLING 1-2 MOS Sake rice is harvested Each batch of rice takes During this soaking in the fall. Most sake A fine white powder about an hour and is Sake rice is polished in a process the water brewers do not own their residue is left on the rice cooked by steam rising vertical mill that slowly absorption rate of the own rice fields, and many after polishing; this is from underneath the rice steamed shaves off the outer rice is determined so do not even use rice from washed off and the rice steamer. The target rice layers of rice. that even steaming can the prefecture where is soaked. temperature of the rice occur later. their brewing facility is 100 degrees Celsius. is located. AVG ~48 HRS EACH BATCH ~1 HR MAIN PRESSING FERMENTATION MASH THREE STEP ADDITIONS YEAST STARTER KOJI PRODUCTION The removal of The fermentation rice and yeast solids process takes between In a small tank (around 15-20% of the total rice (sake kasu) from the liquid. 30-40 days for premium Over the course of four in a batch of sake will be The most common method sake. During this period days, gradually 1/10 the size of the entire raw fermentation), steamed taken to a room called is through an assaku-ki, saccharification and increasing amounts of the Koji Muro, where the which is an accordion- fermentation happens sake rice and koji rice is sake water, koji rice, and koji mold will be slowly shaped machine that simultaneously in what is combined with water and steamed sake rice are grown on the steamed squeezes the sake mash referred to as multiple cultivated sake yeast. added to the tank. sake rice. through a fine mesh. parallel fermentation. 30-40 DAYS 4 DAYS 2 WEEKS 2-3 DAYS FILTRATION* DILUTION* BOTTLING* PASTEURIZATION* MATURATION* Bottling is done before or after pasteurization. It Pasteurization is done 6 months to a year of Charcoal fining to remove Water dilution of the is generally thought that to prevent any yeast or temperature controlled any color, remaining sake sake to reduce the bottling before pasteuri- enzyme activity in the maturation to fully kasu, or trace organisms alcohol content. zation keeps the sake as bottle, and extends the develop the sake’s from the sake. fresh and unexposed to shelf life of sake.