Dewazakura of Yamagata Ginjo-shu Nigori

Dewa Zakura of Yamagata Ginjo with nigori added, originally uploaded by Tony Alexander.

This is a nigori sake(white sediment at the bottom), or in other words, cloudy sake with some lees remaining.  Full fruity notes on the tongue with a coarse texture.   Some people may not like the gassy cloudy thick texture, though.   It's definitely an acquired taste.   Served chilled and served in moderation can be very enjoyable.   I always recommend this sake for those who visit Yamagata.





Another note is the pink label on the front of the bottle.  The Japanese characters are ( zara-zara-nigori), and what that means is a coarse grainy cloudy sake with some remaining lees.  When opening the bottle be careful about the gas by holding the bottle firmly and slowly twisting the cap off.  Of course naturally, you are going to want to turn the bottle upside down to get the lees moving around, unlike aged wines where the leftover sediment is decanted, sake  lees is enjoyed for its appealing snowy quality when enjoying from drinking ware.





When and if  you ever have an opportunity to visit Yamagata Prefecture, always look for the limited selection sake, like in this picture.   Choose a great setting to enjoy it, too.  This was shot from my balcony at a hotel after having a nice long soak in a mineral hot spring.    Since I was up in the mountains the breeze coming in was chilly and the sun was warm and sunny.  The sake was chilled and super nice.   Londoners will soon understand my apotheosis.





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