Collection: All Sake

Junmai means the sake is made from rice, water, koji and yeast with no added distilled alcohol, and it usually tastes fuller and more savoury. Ginjo and daiginjo describe how much the rice was polished, to 60 percent and 50 percent or less. More polishing generally gives a lighter, more aromatic sake. Junmai daiginjo means both conditions apply.

It depends on the style. Aromatic ginjo and daiginjo are at their most expressive chilled, around 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, because warmth blows off the delicate aroma. Junmai and honjozo often gain body and roundness gently warmed to about 40 degrees. Warming is done in a hot water bath, not a microwave. If unsure, try a cup cold first, then warm the rest.

Keep an opened bottle in the fridge, sealed, and drink it within about a week. Delicate daiginjo fades fastest, sometimes within a few days, while sturdier junmai can hold a little longer. Unopened bottles should also be stored cold and dark; sake is not made to be aged like wine, so drink it reasonably close to the bottling date.

Nigori is coarsely filtered, so it looks cloudy and tastes creamier and often sweeter. Nama is unpasteurised, fresher and livelier, and it must stay refrigerated throughout. Futsushu is table sake outside the special designations, which makes up much of what is drunk daily in Japan. All three are styles, not quality grades.

Sake has no tannin and low acidity, so it sits comfortably with dishes that fight wine. Steamed fish, prawns, scallops, tofu, salt-baked chicken and dim sum all work. A gently warmed junmai suits braised dishes and hotpot on a cold evening. Chilled daiginjo is a good aperitif in place of white wine. Browse white wine.

The sake meter value, or nihonshudo, is a rough sweetness scale. Negative numbers lean sweet and positive numbers lean dry, with zero near the middle. It measures density rather than taste, so acidity and aroma change how sweet a bottle actually feels. Use it as a hint alongside the style, not as a final answer.