Niigata's sake is famous throughout Japan, and is enjoyed by many people.
One of the secrets of its delicious taste is that it makes the most of the unique environment of heavy snowfall in sake brewing.
Let's explore some of the sake breweries in Tokamachi and Tsunan areas, one of the heavy snowfall areas in Niigata Prefecture.
Where is Tokamachi and Tsunan area?
The Tokamachi and Tsunan areas are located in the southern part of Niigata Prefecture.
The area is surrounded by rich natural mountains and rivers, and in winter, the area receives 2-3 meters of snow.
The snowfall brings many benefits to the sake brewing process and brings out the unique taste of Niigata sake.
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What Makes Sake So Delicious in Snow Country?
Find out the secrets behind why sake from snow country tastes so good. Abundant snowmelt water The main ingredients for sake are rice, rice koji, and water. Of these main ingredients, water accounts for about 80%. The taste of the rice also depends on the water, so the quality of the water is very important for sake. In areas where there is a lot of snow, a lot of snow melt water is produced in the spring and flows into the rivers. This melt water becomes "soft water" and creates the unique taste of sake from snow country. Hard Water vs ...
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Sake breweries in Tokamachi and Tsunan area
Here's sake breweries in the Tokamachi and Tsunan areas.
Uonuma Sake Brewery Co. Ltd
Uonuma Sake Brewery was founded in 1873. Uonuma Sake Brewery is a sake brewery rooted in the local community, and has been well known by the locals for many years.
Its representative brand name, Tenjinbayashi (天神囃子), comes from a ritual song for praying for a good harvest that has been sung for centuries in the snowy Tsumari region of Tokamachi.
It has taken root in the region as a "celebratory sake" that is indispensable for festive occasions.
Website URL: http://www.tenjinkk.com/
Matsunoi Sake Brewery Co.,LTD.
Matsunoi Sake Brewery was founded in 1894 as a branch of the Furusawa Sake Brewery, which had been brewing sake since the mid-Edo period(1603 - 1868).
The name "Matsunoi (松乃井)" is said to be derived from the sake brewed with water from a well located beside a red pine tree. (pine tree : 松 / well : 井戸)
Website URL :http://www.matsunoi.net/
Naeba Syuzo Co., Ltd.
Naeba Brewery was established on 1907. The brewing water is from the subsoil of Naeba Mountain, one of the 100 most famous mountains in Japan.
The company also uses sake rice produced in Niigata prefecture prefecture such as "Gohyakumangoku (五百万石)" and "Koshitanrei(越淡麗)".
Website URL : http://www.naebasan.com/
Tsunan Sake Brewery
The company was established in 1996 by sake rice farmers, the city office, and JA(Japan Agricultural Cooperatives).
"Gohyakumangoku" sake rice grown by local farmers in Tsunan Town is used for the ingredient of Sake.
For brewing water, the brewery uses melt water from snow that has fallen on mountains such as Kirinoto(霧の塔). The representative sake, "Kirinoto," was named after this mountain.
In 2021, it was awarded the Silver Prize in the SAKE category of the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2021, the world's largest wine competition.
Website URL: https://tsunan-sake.com/
Reference 津南醸造の特徴 津南醸造 苗場酒造 魚沼酒造 松乃井酒造場
