Description
Since 1877, the family-owned Tosa brewery has made sakes in the picturesque, mountainous region of Tosa Reihoku in the Kochi prefecture. Today, the family’s sixth generation Muneki Matsumoto manages production, in the original 140-year-old brewery building. The ‘KEIGETSU’ range derives from the Japanese term, ‘Keigetsu’ describing the beautiful evening scene created when the moon hangs over nearby Katsurahama shore. It also pays homage to the famous novelist Keigetsu Omachi from the Meiji era (between 1868 and 1912), who loved Japanese sake and travelling.
The KEIGETSU sakes are made from the organically grown, local rice varieties Akitsuho, Gin-no-Yume and Yamadanishiki. Akitsuho is a rare table rice variety grown in only two mountainous regions in Japan. The sake-specific rice variety Gin-no-Yume is a crossing of Hinohikari and Yamadanishiki, specially developed for the Kochi prefecture. Hinohikari is a table rice variety native to Kochi and was traditionally used to brew sake before popular sake-specific rice varieties, such as Yamadanishiki, were developed. Mr Matsumoto believes that his local rice, grown within twelve kilometres of the brewery, is best suited to the Tosa Reihoku region because it thrives on the brewery’s terraced rice paddies at 300 – 600 metres above sea level. Here, the remote location and elevation create a high diurnal range, as well as a completely clean, natural environment, which lends itself well to premium rice farming.
The ‘John’ Sparkling sake was made for Mr Matsumoto’s good friend John. The Junmai Daiginjo (50% polish) base sake is made with Gin-no-Yume rice before carbonation. The resulting sake is crystal clear with aromas of peach and cherry blossom on the nose, propped up by lively bubbles and a bone-dry finish on the palate.
This sake is named after and made for Mr. Matsumoto’s friend John. They are both wine lovers and during a toast with one of Mr. Matsumoto’s still sake, John asked why there were no bubbles. Mr. Matsumoto opted to add CO2 to create the bubbles, as he wished to have a crystal clear sake and avoid the natural sediment that results from bottle fermentation. It is aromatic, clean yet full bodied with matching acidity and creamy texture.
Serve cold, preferably at 4°C. Open with care and recap in between servings. This relatively dry sparkling sake can be served on its own, with canapés, tapas, and can be opened for the same occasions that call for a sparkling wine.
