Japanese sake -- rice wine

January, 2003

sake can be enjoyed year-round, either hot or cold. The following glossary explains some of the key terms needed to find and enjoy this Japanese traditional drink.

Sake glossary

Amakuchi:	sweet in flavor
Daiginjo-shu:	sake brewed from rice with at least half the kernel polished off. This is considered the purest, and to some, the best, sake.
Ginjo-shu:	Sake brewed from rice with at least 40 percent polished off the kernel
Honjozo:	Sake brewed from rice with at least 30 percent polished off the kernel, enriched with a small amount of distilled pure alcohol.
Junmai-shu:	Additiive-free sake brewed from rice with at least 30 percent polished off.
Kanzake:	Heated sake.
Karakuchi:	Dry in flavor.
Namazake:	Unpasteurized sake.
Nigori:	unfiltered sake.