Ehime Prefecture is located on The Island of Shikoku in the southwest of the Japanese archipelago and is one of the four major prefectures (Kochi, Ehime, Tokushima, and Kagawa) on Shikoku Island. Ehime Prefecture has humid and rainy seasons and a large temperature difference between day and night, making it very suitable for growing fruits and other crops.
One of the most famous fruits in Ehime Prefecture is mandarin oranges.
Before 2004, Ehime Prefecture was Japan's first citrus producer.
In terms of natural conditions, Ehime Prefecture has sufficient daylight, large temperature difference between day and night, "sunlight" + "ocean reflection light" + "reef reflection light" These three kinds of photosynthesis are collectively called "three suns (三つの陽)", with Ehime Prefecture's unique terraced planting system, making the mandarin oranges here juicy and sweet, well received by fruit lovers.
Local farmers adapt to local conditions, led by the coastal reef-rich, sunny and humid Xiyuhe region, and do not waste any inch of fertile land to grow mandarin oranges. The output of a fruit of light honey orange, in 1968, when resources were relatively scarce, had an amazing annual output of 380,000 tons, one side of the water and soil to feed the other side.
By 2004, the number of mandarins planted declined due to the increase in the cultivation of other citrus species. Although the current annual output (130,000 tons) is not as good as Wakayama Prefecture (160,000 tons), if you count the citrus fruits that are now innovative and new hybridized, Ehime Prefecture's overall citrus fruit cultivation still ranks first in Japan, and it is second only to edible rice in the output of agricultural products in the prefecture, which is the "citrus kingdom" that Japan deserves today.
Many sake breweries in Japan offer mandarin liqueurs, and Kondo Sake Brewery in Ehime Prefecture is no exception.
Kondo Sake Manufacturing, located in Niigata City, Ehime Prefecture, is the only sake brewery in the entire city that has survived the fierce survival of the fittest in the sake brewing industry.
Kondo Sake Brewing focuses on using local specialties as raw materials for its own sake, and while helping local farmers sell their crops, it also exports various specialties from Ehime Prefecture to the whole of Japan and the world – including the "Waka-sakura" series of sake brewed using Ehime Prefecture's homegrown sake "Shizuku hime"; the "Ultramarine" series of pure rice sake brewed using Ehime Prefecture's homemade sake "Matsuyama Mitsui"; and today's highlights - using Ehime Prefecture's locally produced and self-sold mandarin oranges It is served with "Ehime Mandarin De Sake" brewed on the basis of home-brewed sake.
The "de" here does not mean "de" in Chinese (although it is really pleasant to read). In Japanese, the pronunciation of "sake" is "shu", and the preceding "de" becomes "de shu", which is similar to the Japanese ending word "de su" that we often hear. Therefore, if you use a cute method to explain, "Ehime mandarin de wine" = "Ehime mandarin de shu" = "is Ehime's mandarin yo", in fact, it is a harmonic stem.
This mandarin wine is a perfect balance of sour and sweet, perfect for cold drinks or directly with ice cubes.
Hua Ji Sakura Ehime Mandarin Liqueur
Category: Fruit liqueur
Origin: Ehime Prefecture, Japan
Ingredients: water, mandarin orange, shochu, rock sugar, citric acid
Alcohol: 8.5% abv
Capacity: 720ml
Factory date: May 1, 2021
Shelf life: 2 years
Optimal tasting temperature: 5-10 ° C
Flavor: rich mandarin, lemon tea aroma; taste like eating full and juicy mandarin, the taste is sweet and sour, with the flavor of citrus fruits and lemon tea, low alcohol without burden; medium aftertaste. (Preferably with ice or soda)
(Due to the difference in taste between people, the author's flavor description does not necessarily correspond to everyone's actual drinking feeling, and is for reference only.) ）
Evaluation: Sweet and delicious, sweet and sour balance, and an excellent "sister wine".
【Drinking Molecules】 is a self-media operated by Huang Shan, a wine columnist, aiming to popularize wine knowledge in an interesting way.