Michael Hepworth
HOLLYWOOD(Spiritsman) 7/1/13/– have to admit that Sake is not my drink of choice, and my knowledge of the drink is very limited. I do know however that it is probably best when tried by itself or on the rocks chilled, although now I do know that it can be used in a cocktail as well with the use of a variety of spirits, especially Plymouth Gin.
So when a couple of bottles of MOMOKAWA Sake came across the Spiritsman desk, I was rather intrigued to say the least. It should also be served in a wine glass as opposed to the square masu cups. To sum up sake is not a beer, wine or a spirit, but is a rice beverage made from rice, water, yeast and mold.
American made Sake is made by SakeOne at their facility in Forest Grove, Oregon, and caused quite a stir in the Willamette Valley in 1998 with the launch considering the area is well known for wine producing.
The Sakemaster is Greg Lorenz who has had plenty of help from his Japanese counterparts over the years. Key part of the facility is the cedar koji room where the team steam Northern California-grown rice in small batches and then hand turn it. Using the right water along with rice milling all come into the picture, and finally a five person tasting panel make the final decision.
Mold also comes into the picture in a big way, where mold spores (koji) digest the rice with enzymes that convert the starch into sugars.Momokawa is basically a fruit flavored sake that has been relaunched recently with a new label designed by Jeffrey Caldeway. He is an in demand artist, well known in the wine industry for his creative work on Many iconic wine labels, and for Momokawa he used indigo ink to create a distinct design/logo.
Momokawa is basically a fruit flavored sake geared more towards American palates, and more sake is drunk in Portland than any other American city. When it comes to Momokawa they have a choice of four to choose from- Silver, Ruby, Diamond and Pearl.
The Silver is crisp and dry and pairs with light fish and chicken, and the Ruby has a tropical flavor and will go with fruit, salmon, squash and tuna. The Diamond has a bit more spice and minerals and pairs well with shrimp, scallops, dry pasta and salads. The three all have 14.8% alcohol content, but the Pearl comes in at 18% and is rich and creamy. Ideal foods will be Spicy Thai and Barbecue, rich chocolate cake and berries.
Michael Hepworth
287 S.Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
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