Wine Party/Sake
Saturday, January 9th, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
4 to 6 pm
$5.00 per person
Home of: ExecutiveGiftService.com
611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite #1, Palm Springs, 92264
760-327-7701, 800-925-0030
Next Saturday, the 16th, we will be joined by Sunny Grosso, California Sales Manager for Vine Connections, importers of fine sakes. She will answer any questions you may have had regarding sake and its varied styles. Tozai company has been crafting sake for 200 years, while family owned Kanbara was founded in 1880, andTakasago in 1899. The process begins with a specific rice for the purpose. It is milled down to roughly 70% of its size or even more depending on the quality level desired. Natural spring water is drawn from a depth of 600 feet. Sunny will happily explain all as she pours each of these fine products. For starters, she will introduce a line of flavored drinks based on Junmai “pure rice” sake.
The following Saturday, the 23rd, Mark Sullivan of Regal Wines will be pouring some of his favorite California Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Zinfandels.
sake2me Sparkling Junmai
Single bottles $3.49; Four-pack $12.99 (ok to mix)
The latest cutting edge sake drink, saké2me, is a lightly sparkling, Japanese Junmai sake infused with all-natural Asian flavors. Currently available in single-serve bottles, it is served chilled as a refreshing alternative to beer, wine or cocktails.
Yuzu Citrus
- lemony citrus with a hint of orange peel
Asian Pear
- crisp and ripe with a subtle spicy aroma
Green Tea
- intriguing with notes of lemongrass and wildflower honey
Ginger-Mango
- spicy fruit with a clean finish
Tozai “Living Jewel”, Junmai
List price 17.95; our price 15.50
This is produced in Kyoto’s ancient brewing town of Fushimi, known for its abundant supply of pure, pristine, and soft water from many nearby mountains. The label image is a Japanese “koi” whose vibrant colors and shimmering scales have earned them the moniker “living jewels”. 30% of the rice grain is polished away. The aromas of white grape, anise, and a hint of sweet rice are quite complex. These same flavors come rushing through the medium-bodied palate which has a slightly creamy texture followed by a hint of white pepper and fresh herbal notes. The long, clean finish makes this a great sipping sake as well as a companion to a wide range of foods. It earned 89 Points, Silver Medal, “Highly Recommended”, from the Beverage Tasting Institute
Tozai “Well of Wisdom”, Ginjo
List price 25.00; our price 21.95
This sake is crafted with pure, natural spring water from a family brewery nestled at the base of Osaka’s scenic Ikoma Mountain. 40% of the rice grain is polished away. The aromas are of peach and powdered sugar. On the palate, the flavors head toward apricot, peach skin, and a touch of anise. This medium bodied sake presents a unique combination of dry, crisp sake that also has amazing complexity of flavor; great balance too.
Kanbara “Bride of the Fox”, Junmai Ginjo
List price 35.00; our price 29.99
This sake is named for the famous fox-bride festival held annually in Niigata to celebrate a local legend about mysterious lights that have appeared on nearby Mt. Kirin. 50% of the rice grain is polished away. Here, are aromas of grilled nuts, pistachio, and a hint of white chocolate. Flavors of nuts and ripe honeydew explode at the front but the sake finishes crisp with a hint of lingering sweetness.
Takasago Ginga Shizuku “Divine Droplets”, Junmai Daiginjo
List price 68.00; our price 62.00
“Shizuku” (drip pressed) sake, a rarity by itself, is the only sake in the world drip-pressed in an ice igloo which is rebuilt every year outside the main brewery building in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. 50% of the rice grain is polished away. Spice, minerality, and banana skin dominate the aroma profile of this shizuku- pressed sake. Medium-bodied with a clean impact, the flavors run the gamut of a well-crafted junmai-daiginjo: melons, herbs, vanilla essence and concentrated mineral flavors that keep the sake focused well into its long, ethereal finish. This is truly one of the ‘Rolls-Royces’ of sake.
Tozai “Snow Maiden”, Junmai Nigori
List price 17.95; our price 15.50
This sake is named Snow Maiden in homage to Japan’s most famous koi, “Hanako”, which lived 226 years in the icy waters at the foot of Japan’s Mt. Ontake. 30% of rice grain polished away. This is fairly thick and chewy nigori (cloudy sake), but it is still surprisingly dry. The aromas are bright and fresh and they show a lovely rice and fruit combination. In the mouth, this sake has solid weight and gives the same flavors of fresh fruit and creamy fresh rice that your nose told you about. The finish has a pleasant astringency and is nicely mellow, beckoning you for another mouthful. You will rarely taste a classier nigori at this price, and this may be the ultimate food-friendly nigori. 91 Points, Gold Medal, “Best Buy” Beverage Tasting Institute.
Tozai “Blossom of Peace” Plum Sake
List price 17.95; our price 15.50
While most plum wine or sake is made with shochu, fermented plums, or grapes with plum flavors added, this is the only”ume-shu” crafted with premium Japanese sake and the region’s highest quality ripe green plums, or “shiro-kaga”. The plums are soaked in sake for over three months to achieve a rich, sweet aroma and subtle plum flavors. This is a semi-sweet sake with ample aromas of almond and marzipan, and with perfectly ripe plum flavors dominating the palate.
