First, classify sake into four types

Sake has a wide variety of characteristics and there are various ways to classify it, but here we have divided it into four types based on its "characteristic aroma and flavor."

●Koushu: A fruity, fresh aroma and a clean taste. Common in ginjo and daiginjo sake.
●Soushu: A light, dry taste with a subtle aroma. Often found in honjozo sake or light, dry types.
●Junshu: A full-bodied flavor that brings out the inherent umami and sweetness of the rice. Common in Junmaishu, Kimoto, and Yamahai. Hiyaoroshi, a type of sake unique to autumn, is also of this type.
● Matured sake: A unique flavor with a mature aroma reminiscent of dried fruit, honey, and nuts. Old sake and sake that has been aged for a long time are of this type.

Now let's take a look at the foods that go well with each type.

Kaorushu x Fresh Oysters and Lemon

From around November, raw oysters become firm and delicious. Sake is the best way to bring out the milky flavor of oysters. Junmai Ginjo sake or Junmai Daiginjo sake, made with a squeeze of lemon to add acidity, is the perfect pairing for raw oysters. The scent of the seashore and the refreshing citrus flavor match well with the ginjo aroma, suppressing the fishy smell and letting only the flavor shine through.

Other good combinations include light white fish and steamed chicken in sake. Surprisingly, it also pairs well with cream cheese and fruits that are not too sour.

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Soushu and Matsutake mushrooms in earthenware pot

Matsutake mushrooms are a luxury in autumn. When pairing dobinmushi, a representative matsutake dish, with warm sake, be sure to pair it with it. The light sake has a subtle aroma, allowing you to enjoy the aroma of the life of the matsutake mushroom, and when you alternate between sipping the dobinmushi broth and the warm sake, the flavors blend together and flow down your throat.

It also goes well with light dishes such as boiled tofu, steamed daikon radish, chawanmushi, and stewed vegetables with dashi stock.

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Sake and grilled salted saury

Matsutake mushrooms are good, but for the common people, the taste of autumn is pacific saury. The perfect accompaniment to salt-grilled fatty pacific saury is, of course, pure rice sake. Crisply grilled pacific saury skin goes perfectly with pure rice sake, which makes the most of the rice's flavor. The moderate acidity washes away the grease of the pacific saury, leaving a refreshing aftertaste. Of course, it's even better when served warm.

It also goes well with fatty dishes such as sukiyaki, teriyaki yellowtail, and yakitori with sauce, as well as buttery and creamy dishes.

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Matured sake and beef stew

Although it's a bit unconventional as it's not an autumn ingredient, this sake is perfect for beef stew, which is a dish you'll want to eat when the cold winds blow. The spicy aroma and rich sweetness and umami of aged sake match well with the savory flavor of demi-glace sauce (brown sauce).

In addition, in Japanese cuisine, it goes well with the rich flavors of miso and soy sauce, such as oyster dotenabe, kabayaki eel, and braised pork. It also goes well with chocolate and blue cheese.

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Remember these simple rules:

Light sake goes well with light-colored (mild) dishes, and rich sake goes well with dark-colored (strong-flavored) dishes. This is a very rough guideline, but it's good to keep this rule in mind.

But basically, there is no other alcoholic drink that goes well with any food as well as sake. There is no case where it just doesn't go well with anything, like the example of red wine and salmon roe. Please try to combine sake with a variety of Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine, and enjoy sake.

Writer/Sake Master Eriko Fujita
Expand your world to a sake specialty store in Osaka and encounter a variety of sake and sake breweries. Favorite sakes are Akishika, Ohgi, and others.
Other than drinking, my hobbies include collecting minerals and raising swallowtail butterflies.