Sake with Food

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Before talking about which sake to drink with which food, it should be noted that most sakes will go well with not only Japanese food, but most foods from all over the world. While this diagram be helpful as an introduction, these are much less regulations than simply suggestions. In fact, experimenting with new combinations of sake and food may lead to new and interesting discoveries, and I highly recommend it.

When talking about matching sake with food, sake is often divided into four categories based on fragrance and taste.

	Kunshu (薫酒): A sake with a strong fragrance and young, sharp flavor, especially common in ginjo and daiginjo sake. Especially good as an apertif. Kunshu is best with delicately flavored, light dishes such as white fish, steamed chicken, or citrus dishes. Dishes with flavors that might overpower the sake should generally be avoided.	Jukushu (熟酒) Jukushu is rich in both flavor and fragrance, and is often found in sakes that have been aged for several years. In addition to being drank with a meal, it is also good to enjoy leisurely after finishing eating. Because it has a well-expressed taste, Jukushu goes well with foods that might overpower other varieties of sake, including duck, lamb, blue cheese, or grilled fish. However, delicate flavors such as sashimi can be overpowered and would be best enjoyed with a different variety of sake.
	Soshu (爽酒) Soshu is delicate in both fragrance and flavor, and includes most namazake, as well as some honjozo and junmai sakes. It goes well with most varieties of food, but is especially good with vegetable dishes or shellfish. However, it generally doesn't go well with greasy food.	Junshu (醇酒) Junshu is full-bodied, but has only a slight fragrance, and is ideal for drinking during a meal. Most junmai sakes fall into this category. Its full bodied flavor makes it a good complement for beef, creamy soups, strongly flavored chicken, and others. Like Jukushu, it may overpower lighter dishes.

Sources: Some information provided by the Sake Service Institute was used in the making of this page.