GASTRONOMIC SAKE

Starting from the early 2000s, America’s interest in the culinary domain has been on a steady rise as the Food Network has brought food prep demonstrations and celebrity chefs on tours of restaurants around the world into viewers’ homes. Thanks to cable TV and YouTube, devotees from metropolitan and rural areas alike have “traveled” to international destinations for tastes of global cuisines, including Washoku (traditional Japanese food). During this foodie renaissance, sake has repositioned itself from a “house sake” single line listing on a restaurant menu to a featured item. By gradually gaining sake knowledge, diners have lifted gingko, the abundantly aromatic, premium-grade brew typically served chilled, to the heights of popularity it enjoys today.

However, over in Europe, with its long gastronomic history of food and wine, highly aromatic wines are not regarded as ideal meal accompaniments. This ideology is based on deeply-rooted regional culinary and brewery cultures, with winemakers determined to brew the best to highlight their local foods and adhere to tradition. Whether it be in France, Italy, Spain, or Germany, brewers are dedicated to the epicureans seeking local cuisines prepared with locally-harvested ingredients. Whether brewing a wine that melds perfectly with the flavor of a dish, or one that accentuates a particular characteristic, these winemakers at many European wineries are master artisans.

In America, with a pre-pandemic increase in travelers to international destinations as well as more viewers of televised travel and cooking shows, there seems to be a shift in consumer preferences toward more food-friendly, gastronomic wines. This shift represents a significant change from from the more fragrant, fruit-forward types typical of California brews. Lately, U.S. wine makers are also looking into brewing more European-style wines that hold high acidity and umami, which are better suited to enjoying with meals.

The complete article can be found in Issue #281 of the Tokyo Journal.