Before we get into comparing two beverages, what is Japanese sake to begin with? It is made with Japan’s original recipe; hence it is called Japanese sake. Most people who enjoy it don’t really think about how it originated in their own country. But how about wine? Wine is made from grapes, which is the biggest difference from sake.
The ingredients contrast, however, both are made through fermentation.
Let’s take a closer look at the differences.
Japanese sake is legally defined.Article 3 Number 7 of Japan’s Liquor Tax Act states:
-It is fermented rice, koji, and water
-It is filtered* fermented rice, koji, water, sake kasu (sake lees), and or other specified items
-It has an alcohol content of less than 22%
(*Filtered refers to squeezing fermented unrefined sake and separating the liquid from the sake kasu.)
Surprisingly, just because the alcohol content is high doesn’t make it sake.
There are four types of wine: red, white, rosé, and sparkling.
Red wine is made from fermenting grape pulps which contain a lot of pigment, making it red or purple.
White wine is made by fermenting extracted grape juice. Since grape skins are not used, the juice either has no color or has a yellow tint.
Rosé wine is in between red and white wine. Rules on how to make it are not clearly defined. The name refers to its pinkish color. If you don’t like red wine, rosé wine might be the perfect balance of grape flavoring for you.
Sparkling wine contains carbon dioxide. No matter how it is made, if fizz was created during fermentation or was injected, it’s considered sparkling wine.
While we introduced sparkling wine as a type of wine, it really depends on whether the red, white, or rosé wine fizzes or not. By the way, sparkling wine and champagne are considered the same in Japan.
Even if it’s obvious that there are differences between Japanese sake and wine, the details are undoubtedly interesting.So, have you decided what you’re going to drink tonight? Will it be Japanese sake or wine?
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