Sake month at Masu by Nic Watt

SAKE MONTH AT MASU by Nic Watt
Taste five of the world’s greatest sakes imported direct from Japan

To celebrate spring, the team at MASU has sought out five rare sakes and brought them back to New Zealand from Japan, devoting the whole month of October to this special wine and its traditions.

Impressively, the range includes the ultra-rare ‘Tanaka 65’, one of the most sought-after and highly regarded sake in Japan.

“Tanaka is a unique producer who sells out of his special sake every year before it is released” chef restaurateur Nic Watt comments. “These are some of the greatest sakes available and we are proud to be able to give MASU customers a unique opportunity to taste and enjoy them this spring.”

Watt adds, “Hanami, meaning flower viewing, is the traditional Japan-wide custom of enjoying the transition to spring by observing the sakura – the cherry blossom. It’s a significant time of year in Japanese culture so we wanted to mark spring with something special.”

Trying the right sake the right way makes all the difference to whether or not the experience is enjoyable. And that’s where the experts come in, who almost universally agree people should treat it as they would wine.

New Zealand-born international wine judge and Master of Wine Sam Harrop, together with fellow Master of Wine Kenichi Ohashi and the MASU team have helped choose the range that will be available to MASU diners for months to come.

“I know the producers and they are highly regarded,” Harrop says. “We have selected what we believe to be an incredible list of sakes that we are importing direct.”

It’s familiar territory for Harrop who was instrumental in setting up the Sake Category at the International Wine Challenge in 2007 and for his work was awarded the honour of becoming a ‘Sake Samurai’. MASU’s new sake offering is another development in Harrop’s work as SKYCITY Auckland’s beverage consultant, transforming the beverage offering at many of SKYCITY’s outlets.

Five sakes
The five sakes together with Harrop’s tasting notes are:
• Tanaka-Rokujugo (Fukuoka) – One of the most sought-after brands in Japan. The brewery is located in Fukuoka prefecture which is in southern Japan. Restrained, pristine and transparent, dry, medium weight and a tight palate texture.

Producer Tanaka remains true to family traditions in everything he does, from hand-writing the labels in calligraphy himself to using a traditional ‘squeeze’ method (called Haneki Shibori) to extract the sake with timber and stones, a very slow process that produces maximum flavour.

• Toyo-Bijin (Yamaguchi) - This sake is adopted regularly as a sake which is served in official VIP dinners or receptions in Japan. The maker accomplishes “the expression of pure water passed through the rice.” Abundant fruity aromas, perfumed, banana-scented, semi-sweet but light finish. Yamaguchi Prefecture is located at the western end of Japan.

• Juogura (Ibaraki) – High quality. An easy-drinking, moderate umami flavour.
• Nechi-Otokoyama (Niigata) - The sake expresses the terroir of Nechi Valley in Niigata Prefecture. It’s sought-after and produced by rare brewery which mostly cultivates chemical-free rice. Medium intensity of aromas, well-balanced fruitiness and a touch of savourines and dryness.
• Hanahato (Hiroshima) – An aged sake that’s a gold medal winner in the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2014. Nutty, spicy, dried fruit, abundant complexity providing long length, full bodied.

A very special flight of sake

As part of Sake celebration, from Monday 3 October to Sunday 16 October, MASU by Nic Watt is offering diners and bar patrons the opportunity to taste a special flight of three sakes showcasing the new imported varieties, priced at $30 for 60ml measures. This includes Tanaka 65 (Junmai), Nechi Otokoyama (Junmai Ginjo and, Toyobijin ippo (Junmai Daiginjo).

Or, sample small measures of all five sakes. A full flight is priced at $36 for 30 ml measures.

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