By NATSUKI MIDORIKAWA/ Staff Writer
June 11, 2020 at 07:00 JST
NIIGATA--A “miraculous” sake fermented with yeast isolated from a flower from a 150-year-old wisteria tree at a museum here has received favorable reviews for its floral aroma that fills the mouth.
The undiluted “junmai ginjo” premium sake called Bunkichi Itoh VIII is on sale in a limited quantity.
It is touted as a “miraculous” rice wine because the yeast was isolated from only one of about 3,800 blossoms on the wisteria tree at the Northern Culture Museum in the city’s Konan Ward.
The museum, which sits on a 29,000-square-meter site, has been converted from the traditional Japanese-style mansion of a wealthy farming family built in 1889. It has been designated a tangible cultural property by the central government.
The easy-to-drink sake is named after the family’s eighth-generation master and the museum’s former director, who died in 2016.
In 2016, museum officials approached a local chamber of commerce and industry with an idea to develop the sake as a new specialty for the Yokogoshi district in the ward.
Each May, the large wisteria tree produces flowers growing along a trellis measuring 80 tatami mats.
Niigata University and other institutions also joined hands to isolate the yeast from the blossoms. Improvements were added before the yeast was perfected in 2018.
Ichishima Sake Brewery Inc. in Shibata, also in Niigata Prefecture, was asked to produce the sake. The company was able to produce about 650 liters for sale in March.
“When you sip it, a sweet flavor similar to Muscat fills the mouth,” said Takao Sato, 69, deputy director of the museum. “It leaves a refreshing dry taste, making it easy to drink in gulps.”
Bunkichi Itoh VIII is sold at the museum and liquor shops in the Yokogoshi district. A 300-milliliter bottle is priced at 1,000 yen ($9.30), while a 720-milliliter bottle goes for 2,000 yen, excluding tax.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit the official website at (http://hoppou-bunka.com/english/).
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Takao Sato, deputy director of the Northern Culture Museum in Niigata, holds a bottle of Bunkichi Itoh VIII, an undiluted “junmai ginjo” premium sake characterized by its sweet aroma. (Natsuki Midorikawa)
