Rice Prepared to Brew Sake

choi

(1) Sake 101. True Sake ("America's First Sake Store"), undated
www.truesake.com/pages/sake-101

Quote:

"So never mind that there are roughly 70 different sake brewing rice types including the very famous Yamadanishiki, Gohyakumangoku, Miyam[a]nishiki, and Omachi. Instead, think in terms of how much each grain of rice is removed from the outside husk in the attempt to get at the starchy core inside of each grain the brewing rice")

"when you see the word Junmai Ginjo 純米 吟醸[,] you will deduce that this sake is made from rice and water only and has been polished 40% with 60% of each grain remaining.

Note:
(a)
(i) Yamada Nishiki  山田 錦
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamada_Nishiki
the most grown sake-rice; In 1923 was created by crossing Yamadaho [山田穂] and Tankan[-]wataribune 短稈渡船)

* In Japan, 錦 has the same meaning as in China; English; brocade.
(ii) go-hyaku-man-goku  五百萬石 (all Chinese pronunciations for the corresponding kanji; the 石 is the weight measurement that a feudal lord received from an emperor)
(iii) miyama nishiki 美山 錦
(iv) o-machi  雄町

(b) Japanese English dictionary:
* ginjō-shu 吟醸酒 【ぎんじょうしゅ】 (n): "type of sake brewed by low temperature fermentation from white rice milled to 60%"
(c) Why is sake made in the winter season?  In Vol 77 第77回 This is the nouveau season for sake, too! アルク教育社, undated
www.alc.co.jp/speaking/article/kihon/77.html
("There are three reasons for this: One reason is, as I mentioned above, that the season to harvest rice is in early autumn. The second is that agricultural-related activities experience their off-season in winter, so it's easy to get workers. The third reason is that microbes are inactive at low temperatures and so it's easier to control those that are unfavorable [say, bacteria -- as opposed to yeast that does the work].  The perfect temperature for creating ordinary sake is under 15 degrees Celsius, and for ginjyoshu it is under 9 degrees Celsius. 普通の酒は15度、吟醸では９度くらいに抑えるのだそうです")

* The name of the company アルク (katakana for "aruku") stands for the abbreviation of "alcohol") and is found in the URL ("www.alc.co.jp")

(2) W Blake Gray, When Sake Gets Too Polished. Palate Press ("The online wine magazine"), Feb 18, 2013
http://palatepress.com/2013/02/wine/when-sake-gets-too-polished/
(Kazuhiro SAKURAI is vice-president of Dassai 副社長 桜井一宏)