Ukiyo-E Junmai Daiginjo

Ukiyo-E Junmai Daiginjo is a sake made in Massachusetts and sold under the Esplanda label. The name borrows from ukiyo-e, the Japanese woodblock print tradition. The Junmai Daiginjo designation is the most specific fact about the bottle. It is the premium tier of sake grading: the rice is milled until at most half of each grain remains, and the sake contains no added distilled alcohol. Styles in this tier usually come across as clean and aromatic, not rich or rustic. The producer's own tasting notes and alcohol percentage aren't listed here, so treat the profile below as what the category typically delivers. Expect a light, silky body and a delicate nose of the kind often described as melon, pear, white flowers or green apple. The finish is usually short and clean, with little of the earthy, grainy weight that less-polished sake can show. Because the flavors are subtle, the sake is best tasted on its own or with simple food before anything stronger comes into play. Serve it chilled, roughly in the range of a white wine, and avoid warming it. Heat tends to flatten the fragile aromatics that milling this fine is meant to preserve. A small stemmed glass or a white wine glass suits it better than a traditional ochoko cup, since the wider bowl gathers the aroma. Pour modest amounts and let it warm a degree or two in the glass to open up. For food, lean toward mild and fresh dishes. Sashimi, oysters, steamed white fish, tofu, cold soba and light salads all leave room for the sake's nuances. Heavily sauced, spicy or fried dishes are likely to overwhelm it. After opening, keep the bottle refrigerated and finish it within a few days to a week, as delicate sake loses its aromatic edge quickly once exposed to air.