Sake is not about taste, but 'conditions'
Before we talk about whether it's good or bad, 'Sake' is a name with a strictly defined scope.
At the counter, there are people who stare intently at the back of the label.
It says 'Seishu' (refined sake) under the item category... Excuse me, this is Sake, right?
Most people think of Sake as a 'genre of taste'. Even if you understand it as 'everything made in Japan is Sake,' you won't have any trouble in daily life.
I used to be the same.
Is SAKE made overseas actually Sake?
There is a small boom in SAKE that is popular overseas, such as Hakkaisan and Dassai. When the topic of such SAKE made overseas came up, I was asked, 'That's also Sake, right?'
I was startled!
I couldn't explain it well.
The other person's expression clouded over just a little.
My words just hung in the air.
That was when I first realized.
I had only been talking about 'taste', and not about
'the name'.
Seishu and Sake are not the same thing
Let's start by organizing the facts.
Seishu is a classification name under the Liquor Tax Act. It is alcohol with an alcohol content of less than 22% that has been fermented and filtered using rice, rice koji, and water as raw materials. Even if the raw rice is from overseas, or if it is made overseas, it is
Seishu if it meets the conditions.
On the other hand, Sake is a name based on Geographical Indication (GI).
There are two conditions.
・Use only Japanese-grown rice as a raw material
・Brewed within Japan
Only Seishu that meets both of these conditions can be called 'Sake'.
Things made with overseas rice.
Things made overseas.
Even if they are Seishu, they cannot be labeled as Sake.
In other words,
Sake is a subset of Seishu.
If you can summarize this in one word, the conversation will be clear.
This topic gained momentum in 2015.
In 2015, Japan designated 'Sake' as a national-level GI.
The background to this is the expansion of exports.
As “SAKE” spreads in overseas markets, it became necessary to clarify
what constitutes Japan's cultural property.
This is the same structure as Champagne.
Only those produced in the Champagne region of France are 'Champagne'.
Everything else is sparkling wine.
Origin and name are the boundaries of a brand.
Sake is the same.
It is protected not by taste, but by conditions.
However, overseas SAKE is not the enemy.
This is a point that is easy to misunderstand.
It is not a story about overseas SAKE being bad.
They just have different roles.
Both the movement to expand and the movement to protect are necessary.
It is just that the name is protected.
That is all there is to it.
Now, if I am asked at a shop
I say this at the shop.
'Sake is just one part of refined sake (seishu).'
I do not explain any further.
I leave the judgment to the customer.
If I explain too much,
the temperature of the room will rise.
What is important is to show where the peace of mind lies.
'Sake' is not a word for taste, but a 'blueprint of a name' that protects your choice.
The next time you pick up a bottle,
take a look at the back label just once.
The origin of the rice used.
The place of production.
That is enough.
Before the taste, the conditions.
When the conditions are met, the choice becomes quiet.