1,000 Grains of Rice

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love sake. Perfectly chilled and served at the height of its freshness, it is a miracle of subtlety, purity and complexity. I’ve read dozens of articles about sake—and even written a few myself—that breathlessly herald the rise of this old-world Japanese drink in the West.

One headline from earlier this year was typical of the word on the street: “America Opens Up for New Sake Boom.” Yet I haven’t seen much sake in non-Japanese restaurants or markets. As much as I want to believe the hype, where’s the proof?

It turns out that there is indeed a sake boom, but it’s happening on a small scale. In the past 10 years, sake imports from Japan have doubled in volume and quadrupled in value. Jonas Carlson of importer Vine Connections told me his firm has seen about a 30 percent increase in sales annually since it began its portfolio in 2001. “We sell now in 45 states.”

He also added that sake is not served just in Asian restaurants anymore. In SF, wily sommeliers have been incorporating sake pairings into chef’s tasting menus. “We sell a surprising amount of it,” says Paul Einbund of Coi. “But I tend to have sakes on all my wine-pairing menus.” Einbund also sells about one bottle of sake a week, which—as it’s listed at $140—is, he says, not insignificant. I’ve had sake poured for me by Alan Murray at Masa’s and Paul Roberts at the French Laundry. Dave Rickenbaker of K&L Wine Merchants told me his typical monthly sales of sake are surprisingly high. “The customers of San Francisco demanded that we carry sake,” he said. “People come in actually looking for it.”

Beau Timken, who opened the country’s first sake store, True Sake in Hayes Valley, reports his business is growing by about 25 percent a year. “Yes, volume and sales are increasing, but, more importantly, people’s appreciation is growing,” he says. “I’m actually thrilled when people return a bottle of sake to the shop because it was off. It shows not only that people know what good sake should taste like but that they care enough to return it.”

Still, I wonder whether sake will experience the mania we currently see for something like Pinot Noir. I know sake pairs well with food, but would I choose to have it, instead of a Napa Cab, with a steak? With chicken tacos, instead of a beer? Furthermore, great sake is about subtlety, and—30 years into our wine education—Americans continue to live by the “bigger is better” philosophy. We are not understated people.

Even if you are one of the few who understand what the term daiginjo means (it has to do with the degree the rice used to make a particular sake is polished), the majority of the beautiful bottles lack something every American knows how to interpret: a brand. I still find myself stuttering when confronted with a sake list—how to make a decision when I know little about the breweries or their reputations? But then, you never know. We’ve embraced raw fish on rice. Maybe in 20 years, we won’t just be hearing about “Bud men” or “Pinot-philes.” Next in line? “Shimane Prefecture Nigori guys.”

SAKE REDUX
First there was sake, then the sake cocktail. Now there are sake wine coolers, liqueurs and vodkas (well, vodka made with rice).

Saké2me
Launched in July, this single-serve product in pretty packaging was dreamed up by Sausalito-based entrepreneur Jeff Smith. Lightly sparkling, it’s made with imported junmai sake and comes in such Asian-inspired flavors as ginger-mango, yuzu and green tea.

Kissui Vodka
Vodka’s been made with everything, it seems, and now it’s being made with rice. From the people behind Takara Sake, based in Berkeley, this is vodka blended with the “pure” spring water of Fushimi, Kyoto, meaning it just might make the purest martini around.

Ty Ku
This sake-based liqueur flavored with fruits and herbs is popular with the celebs. The New York Post wrote, “After drinking Ty Ku and Dom Pérignon, guests reported seeing [Paris] Hilton play with a monkey while a band of midgets led a pack of goats around the room.”