Sake
Brewing, classification, terminology, and regions. The fundamentals of Japanese rice wine.
What's covered
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01
Brewing
Rice, koji, fermentation stages, and the role of the toji
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02
Classification
Junmai, ginjo, daiginjo, and the polishing ratio system
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03
Terminology
Seimaibuai, nihonshu-do, namazake: the vocabulary of sake
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04
Regions
Japan's major sake-producing prefectures and their styles
Study guides
Browse all sake guides (14) →Long-form guides to the great regions — with interactive maps of their appellations — and the grapes behind them. Every guide opens free; the full depth is part of the subscription.
Fermentation
A study guide to sake fermentation — the shubo starter, kimoto, yamahai and sokujo, the three-stage main mash, sake yeasts, and how temperature sets the style.
Read guide →How Sake Is Made
A study guide to how sake is brewed — the four ingredients, multiple parallel fermentation, and the six steps from polished rice to the finished bottle.
Read guide →Grades of Sake
A study guide to the grades of sake — futsu-shu versus premium, the eight special-designation grades, and the two axes of polishing ratio and added alcohol.
Read guide →Reading a Sake Label
A study guide to reading a sake label — the essential kanji, the labelling terms kimoto, yamahai, muroka, nama and genshu, and what SMV and acidity tell you.
Read guide →Sake Regions of Japan
A study guide to Japan's sake regions — Nada and Fushimi, hard versus soft water, Niigata's dry style, the Tohoku ginjo belt, and the toji brewing guilds.
Read guide →Storing & Serving Sake
A study guide to storing and serving sake — ideal storage, the ten named serving temperatures from yuki-hie to atsu-kan, warming methods, and the vessels.
Read guide →These are a taste — the library has 14 guides. Sign in to browse them all →
Sake is one of the world's most technically complex fermented beverages. Its production involves multiple parallel fermentation, koji mold cultivation, and a classification system built around rice polishing ratios: all of which require careful study to understand and recall with confidence.
Interest in sake has grown significantly outside Japan, with courses from WSET and the Sake Sommelier Association creating a new generation of certified professionals. Whether you're preparing for an exam or simply want to order with confidence, regular practice with structured questions builds the foundation you need.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the polishing ratio (seimaibuai) tell you?
- It's the percentage of the rice grain left after milling. A seimaibuai of 60% means 40% of each grain was polished away. Removing the outer layers, which are higher in fats and proteins, tends to give cleaner, more fragrant sake — it's the line that separates honjozo, ginjo (60% or less), and daiginjo (50% or less).
- Is sake a wine, a beer, or a spirit?
- None of them exactly. Sake is brewed from rice using koji mould and yeast, so its method is closer to beer, but it is undistilled and usually 14–16% ABV. In Japanese it is called nihonshu; 'rice wine' is a loose English convention.
- Do I need to know the Japanese terms to study sake?
- A small core vocabulary helps, because sake classification is built on it: junmai, ginjo, seimaibuai, nihonshu-do, namazake. The quiz introduces these in context so you learn the concept and the word together.