Snow Country Sake: Premium Rice and Clear Waters

“The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country. The earth lay white under the night sky.” Those are the evocative opening words of the classic novel, Snow Country, written by Nobel Prize-winner Yasunari Kawabata in the 1930s. He was describing the Uonuma region in Niigata Prefecture and the abundant snowfall that still blankets the area—often several meters deep—during the cold winter months.

Uonuma is also known for its sake brewing, a tradition that’s built on the blessings that come from its natural environment, including the heavy snowfall. Explaining why and how Uonuma’s landscape is responsible for the quality of the local sake is the task of Timothy Sullivan, a Manhattan, New York-based sake afficionado. Sullivan’s first encounter with nihonshu, or Japanese sake, happened to be with the Hakkaisan brand—one of Uonuma’s major breweries—at a New York sushi restaurant in 2005, and the pairing not only grabbed his attention but changed his life.

As his appreciation grew and deepened, he decided to make a second career helping to spread the word about the alcoholic beverage. That meant learning more about it. “I really wanted to spend time working in a sake brewery doing an internship as a kurabito, a brewery worker,” he says. He ended up spending a year at the Hakkaisan brewery in Uonuma, where he studied every step in the sake-making process, from milling rice, steaming rice, and making the mash, to pressing and bottling.

The special characteristics of Uonuma sake are very much tied to the water source that many brewers share. The area is mountainous, part of the Japanese alps, and the breweries have abundant sources of mountain stream, snow-melt water. “The water ranks exceedingly soft on the hardness scale of water, and this tends to result in sake that is very clean, very crisp, on the dryer side of the spectrum,” says Sullivan. “The water is the source of the terroir, what gives it the sense of being from Uonuma.”

He points to Uonuma’s location in the dead center of Niigata’s rice-producing region as another important aspect. “The history of rice production in Uonuma goes back hundreds of years,” Sullivan says. “And the combination of exceedingly soft delicious water and some of the most wonderful rice in Japan made Niigata—and Uonuma in particular—a natural cradle for the development of sake culture.”

Uonuma breweries use a type of local Niigata rice called gohyakumangoku, developed through crossbreeding of different varieties, and only used in sake production. “It is a rice grain that produces airy, lighter styles of sake, which is exactly what the Niigata brewers want to make,” says Sullivan. “The balance of starch, fats, and proteins is perfectly suited to Niigata style sake.”

Another traditional characteristic of some Uonuma sake varieties is the yukimuro, or “snow cellar.” Before the age of electricity in Japan, there was a type of natural refrigerator that was often used in Niigata. It consisted of a hole dug in a mountain that was filled with snow and ice, then covered with straw—a very rustic form of ice box. “Some breweries use a modern version of this as a way of aging sake alongside snow to keep it chilled,” says Sullivan.

The cold temperature and the humidity from the snow sweetens vegetables and increases the umami of beef, and sake becomes richer and deeper in flavor over time. “The low temperature also keeps the sake clear,” says Sullivan. “There’s no yellowing or caramelization over time. It’s a magical process that modern Niigata is rediscovering from its past.”

During his year-long study of sake in Uonuma, Sullivan was able to experience the area’s deep fermentation culture beyond sake brewing. From breweries, he learned about making koji, the fungus or mold that’s grown on rice as part of sake making. Its role is to break down starch into sugar, an integral step in the process. But he discovered other uses. “Koji can be used to tenderize meat, and there are types of pickles that use different parts of the sake-making process,” he says. “Nuka, for example, is the rice powder from milling rice, and it is used to make nukazuke pickles.”

One of his most memorable experiences during his visit was foraging for wild mountain vegetables. The brewery arranged for him to go hiking in the mountains, looking for tender growths of fukinoto (butterbur). “We climbed a steep hill, wearing aprons with pockets for storing our pickings,” Sullivan says. “Afterwards, they were preserved, finally becoming a wonderful side dish to go with Niigata rice. I fell in love with the bitter taste of the mountain vegetables, which was enhanced by the freshness and the great experience of picking them myself. I will never forget it.”

As the rural area has a limited number of dining spots, Sullivan cooked for himself, buying preserved salmon and pork that had been marinated in shiokoji, a mixture of koji and salt that is used to tenderize and flavor foods. “I would cook them at home very simply,” he says, “pairing them with a fresh batch of local koshihikari rice grown locally. Very simple, but such a memorable meal.”

Sullivan could easily be an ambassador for the koshihikari brand of rice, given the enthusiasm which he brings to recalling his Uonuma diet. “Everyone talks about how good the rice is, and it’s really true,” he says. “The texture, and the way it holds the moisture makes it super delicious. Everyone should have a chance to taste koshihikari rice once in their life.”

Looking back over his 20 years spent in the sake world, Sullivan believes there has been a dramatic change in the spread of sake’s appeal in the United States. “Young people are more open to food and drink from other countries,” he says. “Because their first encounter is probably a premium grade of sake they have a good experience.” He is also helping brewers expand their sales networks, including the recent emphasis on selling sake to non-Japanese restaurants. “We want to see sake served with Italian food, Thai food, American food,” says Sullivan. “When we’re able to show owners and chefs how versatile sake is, a lot of them have the same ‘a-ha!’moment I had twenty years ago.”

His message to anyone who has yet to try Japan’s traditional alcoholic beverage is simple: “There is very little you can do wrong when it comes to sake and food pairing.” He encourages everyone to try sake wherever they can, understanding that there is a tremendous variety when it comes to sake. There are sweet sakes, drier sakes, sakes that are umami-driven, light, aged, super fresh, and everything in between. “I think there is a sake out there for everyone,” Sullivan says. “We’re looking at a very bright future.”

“The Tamagawa brewery was founded in 1673. They are small in size but have a lineup of about 20 different sakes, so they’re very much a boutique brewery. One of their brands is called Itto kiii, using katakana similar to the English words “It’s the key.” It’s a junmai ginjo grade sake, and they viewed it as the key to unlock the discovery of sake for new customers. It’s low alcohol—only about 12 percent—and made with high acidity, so it’s lighter, gently sweet. This debuted a few years ago. Another classic brand, Yukikura, is a delicious daiginjo, very silky, clean finish and very velvety on the palate. So they have both new exciting brands and classic ones.”

“Aoki Shuzo is younger than Tamagawa by about one hundred years, founded in 1717. They have two wonderful brands I enjoy very much. Kakurei is the most famous, and their junmai ginjo of that brand is a medium bodied sake with very gentle rice notes on the palate. It’s very clean, smooth and light, in the Niigata regional style. They also have a second brand called Yuki-otoko, meaning “yeti” or “snowman,” with a very cute label. It’s a classic junmai, very approachable. It’s very food friendly, delicious and of wonderful value. It’s also a relatively small brewery.”

“Hakkaisan is a larger brewery founded in 1922. Their Tokubetsu Honjozo is really well known, sold all over Niigata. It’s a dry, light, clean sake that is very versatile: you can serve it warm or chilled. Another sake from this brewery is the Hakkaisan Snow Aged Junmai Daiginjo 3 Years. Hakkaisan has a snow cellar and sells a junmai daiginjo super premium sake that is aged for three years in the snow cellar. It has a rich, deep umami flavor, but it is perfectly clear thanks to the magic of the snow.”