Given how popular Japanese food is now, it’s kind of surprising that sake hasn’t taken off in tandem. But it’s also understandable, seeing as this is not exactly the easiest drink to get your head around: there’s the complex classification, and the fact that, until relatively recently, the labels have tended to be in Japanese. There’s also confusion over what temperature to serve it at (the general impression is that it’s served warm, but finer sakes are traditionally served cool or cold). The supermarkets, which are often helpful in popularising new drinks such as kombucha, haven’t come on board, either. Look up sake on the Asda website, for example, and you get 752 results for cake. Even Waitrose, which has an extensive range of Japanese food, stocks more Japanese gin and whisky than sake – and then only the not-especially-interesting Sawanotsuru (14.5%) at £13.
But there’s a lot to like about sake. For one thing, it’s smoother and less sharp than many white wines. Delicately sweet, but also savoury, it’s versatile with food, too, and not just with sushi (the Japanese wouldn’t traditionally serve it with rice). Being rich in umami, it’s also surprisingly good with steak and cheese.
