Speaking of Niigata Prefecture, it is a rice area and a region where sake is widely known as a delicious sake area.
In winter, heavy snowfall causes the building to be completely covered in some areas, but the harsh winter cold and abundant melting water are very suitable for making good quality sake.
There are areas called sake breweries outside Niigata prefecture, but there are no prefectures with nearly 100 sake breweries other than Niigata.
Since the number of sake breweries is approaching 100, the number of brands of sake that we produce is unimaginable.
Those who want to drink Niigata sake. For those who are looking for recommended sake for gifts, here are 7 recommended popular sakes from Niigata Prefecture.
History of Niigata sake
It is not an exaggeration to say that Japanese sake is brewed not only from Niigata but also from local sake rice, water and original yeast.
Sake is not only a raw material, but also a product that is created by complex intertwining of the land, the climate of the land, the environment and the history.
For a long time, sake, which has a strong sweetness, has been a hot-selling product as a standard, but it has been changed to a trend of light and dry.
Many breweries in Niigata Prefecture have created such a flow. It has been making sake for a long time since its establishment, and there are many breweries with a history of 200 or 300 years.
Originally, these long-established breweries originally made things such as main brews and general sake for local households.
However, the beer industry showed a premier trend and found that consumers wanted something tasty at a little overpriced, from something cheap and accessible.
As a result, Japanese sake brewing, such as Junmai sake or Junmai Ginjo sake, takes time and the price is high, but each brewery has its own personality and tends to produce really delicious ones.
One of the reasons for the sake brewing in Niigata prefecture is that there is a lot of rice production in Niigata prefecture.
Koshihikari, an edible rice, is famous, but sake rice is also produced in "2 Hyakumangoku" and "Koshibata Rei", and these two types of sake brewed rice are representative of Niigata.
In particular, "Motomangoku" is widely known as the best-known sake brewing rice, which is also called the two largest sake rice in Japan, along with Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture.
Gomangoku is characterized by its small size per rice grain, making it difficult to increase the rice polishing rate, making Daiginjo Sake unsuitable.
Supplementing that, Niigata is the leading raw material for brewing Ginjo sake nationwide, and it is Rei Koshibata, which is a hybrid of Yamada Nishiki and XNUMX Hyakumangoku.
In other words, Niigata's sake brewing is so popular that a large amount of sake rice that is suitable for sake brewing is available.
Characteristics of Niigata sake
Niigata sake has many characteristics. Niigata Prefecture is characterized by its fierce competition, as it has so many breweries that it can be said that it is an accumulation area of breweries, and is particular about raw materials and is active in improving and developing structures.
For the time being, I felt a sense of danger that the consumption of sake decreased, so I used the brand power of Niigata sake to give each one its own characteristics.
Niigata prefecture is suitable for long-term low-temperature fermentation of sake because of the long winter season. Long-term low-temperature fermentation is a manufacturing method that suppresses the growth of various bacteria.
In the sake production process, fermentation is said to be the most important, so an environment where fermentation can be carried out slowly at a low temperature is extremely appreciated, and simple sake can be made.
Niigata Prefecture, which is widely known for its beautiful water, has six places in the 6 best waters and 58 places in Niigata.
The rice polishing rate of Niigata sake is 58.7% on average, which is one of the top classes in Japan. The national average is 67.6%, so you can see how high-quality sake is.
High quality and mellow and neat drinking are features of Niigata sake.
7 Recommended Japanese Sake Recommended in Niigata
Chikusu Kubota
Using local rice and water, we make liquor that will be delighted with the technology inherited from our predecessors.
The quality of sake cannot exceed the quality of raw materials. Kubota, famous throughout Japan, was made with a focus on quality, keeping in mind the words of Mr. Mori, the predecessor, and working on rice production.
The company that manufactures Kubota is Asahi Sake Brewery, but Kubota used it as the brand name when it was founded.
Since it is exactly a flagship product of Asahi Sake Brewery, it is named Kubota and continues to the present day.
Among them, Senju is one of the most popular bottles of Ginjo sake with a refreshing taste and elegant and clear Ginjo aroma.
It has a reputation as a marriage for a wide range of dishes, from rich to delicate and white, with the umami and sourness of rice and the sharpness that passes through the throat.
Speaking of Niigata sake, Kubota is a typical sake. There are various brands, but if you want to know the taste of Kubota, it is best to taste Senju.
| Brand | Asahi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| website | https://www.asahi-shuzo.co.jp/index.html |
| Amazon | Click here for Amazon Kubota Senju |
〆Shimahazuru Junmai Ginjo Kotanrei
Tohoku crane is the most refined of all Niigata sake. There is also a fragrance that makes you feel the dignity of the fruity, and it is one that you can feel the overwhelming sharpness.
It is a product that has created a large number of enthusiasts who will not stop once they drink it for a too elegant taste.
The sake quality is high, and even beginners of sake will be able to realize the difference in quality.
Some beginners say they should drink from the standard "flowers", but they are fruity and elegant. If you want to feel the high quality, we recommend Koshidanrei, an easy-to-understand Junmai Ginjo sake.
The brewery is Miyao Sake Brewery, founded in Bunsei 2 (1819). The area of Murakami, where the warehouse is located, is a rice producing area for high quality sake suitable for sake brewing, such as XNUMX Hyakumangoku and Takamine Nishiki.It uses fresh well water and uses it generously for washing water. You.
| Brand | Miyao Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| website | http://www.shimeharitsuru.co.jp/index.html |
| Amazon | Click here for Amazon〆Chang Crane Junmai Ginjo Echidanrei |
Koshino Kanbai Ginjo Bessen
Even if you are not a sake fan, Koshino Kanbai is a famous sake nationwide, so you may have heard of it once.
As mentioned in the history of Niigata sake, Niigata's sake, which has the characteristic of Tanrei, is one of the key factors in the sake brewing industry where sweet sake was the mainstream nationwide.
"Ginjo Bessen" is a yeast that has a light and refreshing taste among Koshino Kanbai. The expression “tanrei hot” is the best match.
It is a luxurious product for celebration and a little good, and among the Koshino Kanbai, which is selected for gifts, it is a product full of luxury.
Ishimoto Sake Brewery is a brewer who makes sake with the motto that he is stubborn and has the motto of Koshino Kanmei.
The white label of Koshino Kanbai is a standard sake that represents Ishimoto Sake Brewery and has a reputation for being compatible with any dish.
| Brand | Ishimoto Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| website | https://koshinokanbai.co.jp/ |
| Amazon | Click here for Amazon Koshino Kanmei |
Hanagi world sweet junmai ginjo
It is Niigata prefecture's sake that made the brewery industry light and dry, but sweet sake has a strong ability.
One of the representatives is Hanayagi Kai Kanguchi Junmai Ginjo, which is sent out by Imadai Shuzo.
A long time ago, there was a downtown area near Kindai Shuzo Brewery, and it was called Japan's three major flower streets, along with Gion in Kyoto and Akasaka and Shimbashi in Edo.
This one is said to represent the sweet world of those days. The sake is gorgeous, extremely sweet, and has a refreshing aftertaste, making it a good choice for ate such as pickles and chocolate.
Although it is sweet, it is even more surprising that it uses the royal road "Motomangoku" of Niigata's representative spicy dry sake.
Sake such as sweet dessert wines, even though they are widespread in Japan, are hard to find except in the Hanagi world.
| Brand | Imadaji Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| website | https://www.imayotsukasa.com/ |
Mountain Junmai Ginjo
Mountains are very young sake compared to other Niigata sakes born in 2007.
However, the taste of Niigata liquor, which was realized by careful and discerning brewing, was reputed and spread all over the country.
A bottle that is truly worthy of the expression “beautiful sake”. It is distinct from Tanrei Dry, and has a fresh mouthfeel and taste as if the fruit were put into the mouth as it is.
After passing through the flowing throat, it becomes a type of sake that has a faintly sweet aftertaste.
Among the best sake in Niigata Prefecture, which has many famous sakes, it will be one of the reputed bottles if it is among the highest three bottles.
Founded in 1992, it is very young, but it can be said that sake brewing that incorporates cutting-edge technologies and ideas that are new is now possible.
| Brand | Niigata Daiichi Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| website | https://www.hakucho-sake.com/ |
Hakkaisan Junmai Ginjo
Many of the sake enthusiasts you've seen so far may be wondering why that brand doesn't come out, even though it's Niigata's sake.
Sorry I made you wait. Speaking of Niigata's leading sake major, it is Hakkaisan.
Speaking of Niigata's representative sake, there is no doubt that Kubota introduced above and this Hakkaisan.
The flagship product at Hakkaisan is Junmai Ginjo. Speaking of The Tanrei Dry Niigata Sake, the voice of Hakkaisan Junmai Ginjo is very common.
It is a simple word that the taste of Tanrei Sake is kept as it is, and the soft drink unique to Junmaishu is finished exactly.
The way it melts into the tongue and throat and disappears in a fleeting way is just like the snow in Niigata, and it can be described as a beautiful sake.
It is not exaggeration to say that sake is located at the top of Niigata's purely dry sake.
| Brand | Hakkai Brewing Co., Ltd. |
| website | https://www.hakkaisan.co.jp/ |
| Amazon | Click here for Amazon Hakkaisan Junmai Ginjo |
Kitayuki Daiginjo
Hokusetsu Sake Brewery, which produces Hokusetsu, is located on Sado Island, not on the mainland, and is a sake brewery with a history of more than 140 years since its establishment.
Craftsmen who value tradition and make traditional sake are fascinated by Hollywood stars, and are famous as a sake that famous Hollywood actor Robert de Niro drinks.
Daiginjo is a silver prize winner in the 2019 U.S. Sake Appraisal Daiginjo category.
It is one of the winners of various contests, such as receiving the highest gold prize in the Daiginjo category of the Sake Award 2014, which is delicious with wine glasses.
Sake brewing suitable Yoneyamada Nishiki is polished to 35%, and carefully grown by long-term low-temperature fermentation.
In addition, Kitayuki Chodai Dry is a surprising sake with a sake level of +15 to 17, which greatly exceeds the concept of dry, and is also a sake brewery where the approach to subvert common sense can go down.
| Brand | Kitayuki Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| website | https://sake-hokusetsu.com/ |
| Amazon | Amazon North Snow Daiginjo is here |
How to get Niigata sake
Many Niigata sakes are unique, and there are some limited-time sakes with premiums, but the environment is easier to get than Yamagata, which is a similar sake destination.
Each sake brewery has a homepage, and information on special dealers and restaurants is also posted, so it is not difficult to obtain, and there is not much premium price sake that surprisingly exceeds the list price Because it is not out, it can be said that there is an environment that is easy to get even for beginners.
Try the wide and deep real Niigata sake
Niigata Prefecture, where rice and sake are.
Niigata's sake, which is occupied by the best sake brewery in Japan, is constantly innovating, and is open to producing more delicious new sake.
Niigata Sake, which broke the boom so far and created a movement called Tanrei Dry in Japan.
If you want to taste the widest and deepest authentic sake, why not pick up Niigata sake?
