Gekkeikan Sake near the Sierra

THE ASIAN CULINARY INFLUENCE on our region extends to Japan’s national drink. Sake, also known as rice wine, is brewed by Gekkeikan Sake Co., in Folsom, the world’s largest sake manufacturer.

Gekkeikan’s Folsom brewery—celebrating its 20th anniversary this year—was opened to serve the North American market with sake. Its output has increased more than threefold since it opened. An expansion is planned that will add more brewing capacity by 2011, a testament to Gekkeikan’s ability to weather the recession.

Folsom might seem like an odd choice for a sake brewery—five thousand miles away from Japan—but think
again.

“We get good water from the Sierra snowpack, and we’re close to the rice supply in the Central Valley,” says Hiro
Matsumoto, vice president of marketing for Gekkeikan U.S.A.

The mineral-rich water is similar to that found in Gekkeikan’s hometown of Fushimi, Japan. In addition, Sacramento is the distribution center of California grown rice.

Sake is gaining in popularity because of the growing interest in Japanese cuisine. It also is one of the lighter, more refreshing alcoholic beverages. Sake typically is lower in calories than wine or whiskey, with moderate alcohol content of about 14 percent.

Though known as a hot drink, sake is becoming more popular to serve chilled or over ice. Sake cocktails, including Cosmo Sake, Sake on the Beach and Sake Mojito, are gaining followers too.

Sake has been Japan’s national drink for thousands of years. It is made of rice, yeast and water. The beverage’s origins go back to China, along theYangzu River basin, where rice cultivation also began. In Japan, sake production has been refined. Gekkeikan was founded in 1637. Japan has about 1,800 sake breweries. Just as France has wineries and Germany has beer breweries, each village in Japan has its own sake brewery.

Some 240 million gallons of sake is consumed yearly, most of it in Japan.

The U.S. market is estimated at 3.4 million gallons.

Gekkeikan’s sake brewery in Folsom attracts nearly 2,000 visitors per year, says Matsumoto. Its tasting room offers
complimentary tasting of sake and “kobai,” or plum wine. The brewery also is open for self-guided tours. It also offers introductory sushi-making classes in the tasting room.

“Thanks in part to a continuing trend for healthy Japanese cuisine, we are enjoying increased interest in our
products and a greater diversification of our markets,” says Gekkeikan Sake President Haruhiko Okura.

Gekkeikan Sake U.S.A.
1136 Sibley St., Folsom
(916) 985-3111
gekkeikan-sake.com

What is sake?
•Sake is a naturally fermented alcoholic beverage in the same general category with wine and beer.
•Sake is made from rice, water and yeast.
•Sake is a beverage but also is used in stir-fries, marinades and sauces.