Sake Basics With A Focus on Nigori Sake

Sake is Japanese rice wine, made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. The brewing process is more akin to that of beer, where starch is converted into sugars and then fermented into alcohol,

Sake labels can be difficult to decipher. There are different levels of polish. In general, the more you polish the rice, the sweeter the taste of the sake (and the more expensive the sake will be)

Daiginjō – polished down to at least 50% of the rice grain
Ginjō - polished down to at least 60% of the rice grain
Tokubetsu – polished down to at least 70% of the rice grain

You may also see the word "Junmai" on sake bottles. Junmai translates to "pure rice" so junmai sake is brewed using only rice, water, yeast — there are no other additives, such as sugar or alcohol. If the sake does not say Junmai, a little bit of “brewer’s alcohol” has been used to clean and lighten up the sake and used to bring out more aromatics

Nigorizake - The sake is passed through a loose mesh to separate it from the mash. It is not filtered so there is rice sediment in the bottle. Before serving, the bottle should be shaken to mix the sediment and turn the sake white or cloudy.