Usually in Japan, the sake of the Nada area is called "male sake" and the sake of Fushimi is called "female sake".
Water accounts for 80% of the composition of sake. If you count the amount of water used in each brewing step, the total weight of the water is more than 50 times the weight of the grain of rice. It can be seen that the quality of water has a great impact on the quality of sake. Sake rice can be transported, but the cost of water transportation is extremely high, so many of Japan's famous sake breweries are located near the mountains and rivers and rivers, which is convenient for sake brewers to draw high-quality water for sake brewing.
What kind of water is good water?
For sake brewing, trace elements in the water are important.
The water used to make sake must contain potassium, phosphoric acid, and magnesium. These elements are beneficial for yeast reproduction. If the content is insufficient, the yeast propagation rate will be too low, which will affect the fermentation effect.
Secondly, the iron content in the water will make the wine dull, affecting the taste and aroma. When manganese-containing water encounters ultraviolet rays, it will make the sake discolored and become turbid.
In addition to the trace elements in the water, the hardness of the water also affects the taste of sake.
Water quality is divided into soft water and hard water, the difference is the amount of minerals contained in the water.
Soft water contains less mineral content, yeast gets less nutrients resulting in low activity,
The speed of fermentation is slow, the speed of sugar into alcohol is also slower, and the entrance after brewing is sweet and soft, and the wine is light and refreshing.
Hard water has a high mineral content, which is conducive to fermentation. Yeast is active to speed up the decomposition of sugar, which can create a strong and spicy taste, and the wine is rich and mellow.
Of course, this is not a generalization, and the final taste of sake still depends on the brewing technology of sake.
There are three major sources of high-quality water for sake brewing in Japan
● Miyazui, Beach District, Hyogo Prefecture
Uterine water is rich in minerals, especially phosphorus and potassium. It can well nourish koji bacteria and yeast and improve enzyme activity. Because the water here is relatively hard, it is suitable for brewing sake that stimulates the strongness. The liquor in the beach area is also often referred to as "men's sake".
● Imperial perfume in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto
Fushimi is a well-known sake producing area because of the quality of the water. Earlier, it was called Fushui, which means "hidden water" or "groundwater". It was later named Imperial Perfume, meaning "noble perfume". Miyako is one of the best waters in Japan. Because of the softness of the water, sake made with Fushimi water is known for its sweetness and softness, and it is named "female sake".
● Fuliu water is a melted snow water from the Fuji landscape that penetrates under the volcano for many years and is filtered by strata layer by layer. This naturally pure spring water has a perfect ratio of 3:1 calcium and magnesium. On the palate it is soft and refreshing.