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By The Glass Chris Pearce |
Festival offers
award-winning
sake samplesHonolulu is a town that loves its sake. According to Department of Commerce figures, we have been importing around 10,000 liters -- more than 1,000 cases -- of premium sake a month in the last six months. No doubt some of this is shipped on to the mainland, but the fact remains that we drink more sake per capita than residents of any other state.
Alas, the Honolulu Sake Brewery closed its doors in 1994, and we no longer have a sake we can truly call our own (though Takara Masamune and Hula Musumi, now brewed in California, are still available at Times and Longs). This grievous loss has been offset by the arrival in recent years of truly fine imported sakes from Japan.
The big news for Hawaii's legions of sake enthusiasts is that some of the best sakes in the world will be there for the tasting Friday at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.
More than 120 sakes will be divided into daiginjo, ginjo and junmai categories, including gold and silver award winners from the 2003 U.S. National Sake Appraisal. And, because sake without sakana (appetizers) is like a couplet without a rhyme, 10 local restaurants will present signature dishes to accompany the sakes on display. Here is a preview of what's in store:
The crew from Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar will serve Pacific Rim Asian Tostata -- sweet rock shrimp and fresh lump crab meat with fresh tomatoes in an umeboshi vinaigrette -- perhaps with a sip of 2002 gold-award winner Dewazakura "Dewasansan." Roy Yamaguchi's signature Ahi Tartare will prompt guests to head for the ginjo table, where 34 labels will be available.
In a more subdued mode, Kacho chef Yui Urawa has prepared three kaiseki delicacies; here, most definitely, one of the ravishing daiginjos, too expensive to drink in restaurants for all but the lucky few, is advised.
Those yearning for comfort food need look no further than Furusato's oden pot or the slow-smoked sides of beef brisket at Memphis Minnie's Barbeque, both admirably complemented by any number of earthy junmai sakes.
And lest anyone go home hungry, Yabu Soba is serving soba, the traditional conclusion to an evening of sake enjoyment.
It should be remarked that the consumption of all of this terrific food and sake is for a good cause. The Joy of Sake is held annually to commemorate the achievements of Takao Nihei, who revived Hawaii's sake-brewing traditions after World War II and developed improved techniques for making sake from California rice. A portion of the proceeds is dedicated to preserving Nihei-san's legacy in a permanent exhibition.
About 80 tickets remain. To reserve one or more, call the Sake Hotline, 739-1000, or visit www.sakefestival.com. Tickets are also available at Fujioka's Wine & Spirits in Market City.
Chris Pearce is a director of the International Sake Association and event coordinator for the Joy of Sake.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals. Write to features@starbulletin.com
