Japan's sake brewers hope UNESCO heritage listing can boost rice wine's appeal

OME, Japan — 

Deep successful a acheronian warehouse the involvement sleeps, stored successful rows of elephantine tanks, each holding much than 10,000 liters of the Japanese atom vino that is the merchandise of brewing techniques dating backmost much than 1,000 years.

Junichiro Ozawa, the 18th-generation caput of Ozawa Brewery, founded successful 1702, hopes sake-brewing volition triumph designation arsenic a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, erstwhile the determination is made adjacent month.

"We ever deliberation astir the radical who're enjoying our involvement erstwhile we marque it. I'm present truthful excited, imagining the faces of each the radical astir the world," helium told reporters Wednesday during a circuit of his brewery connected the pastoral outskirts of Tokyo.

Sake, the portion of prime for the nobility successful "The Tale of Genji" — Japan's astir celebrated enactment of lit — has been widening its appeal, boosted by the increasing planetary popularity of Japanese cuisine.

Sake exports from Japan full much than 41 cardinal yen ($265 million) a year, with the biggest destinations being the U.S. and China, according to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.

That's up from astir 22 cardinal yen successful 2018. But exports inactive marque up a tiny fraction of wide involvement accumulation successful Japan. Brazil, Mexico and Southeast Asia, arsenic good arsenic France and the remainder of Europe, each places wherever Japanese restaurants are gaining popularity, are starting to instrumentality a liking to sake.

What's cardinal to sake-making, which takes astir 2 months, including fermentation and pressing, are the atom and the water.

For a merchandise to beryllium categorized Japanese sake, the atom indispensable beryllium Japanese. The comparatively brushed prime of freshwater successful Japan, similar the supplies provided by the 2 wells astatine Ozawa Brewery, is besides critical.

Among Ozawa's involvement is the full-bodied aromatic Junmai Daiginjo, 1 of the apical offerings, with 15% intoxicant contented and costing astir 3,630 yen ($23) for a 720-milliliter bottle.

Karakuti Nigorizake is unrefined sake, murky and not wide similar accustomed sake, with 17% intoxicant contented and a rugged no-nonsense taste. It sells for 2,420 yen ($16) for a 1,800 milliliter bottle.

The spiritual connotations of involvement are evident astatine the brewery. The large cedar-leaves shot hanging nether the eaves is simply a awesome of a shrine for the deity of sake-making. In Japan, involvement is utilized to purify and to celebrate. Sips from a cupful signify the sealing of a marriage.

"Sake is not conscionable an alcoholic beverage. It is Japanese civilization itself," said Hitoshi Utsunomiya, manager of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.

The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage designation is fixed to not conscionable humanities monuments but besides practices passed down generations, specified arsenic oral traditions, performing arts, rituals and festivals.

It's not meant to beryllium utilized for commercialized purposes. But involvement officials marque nary concealed of their anticipation that it volition boost planetary sales, helping the contented enactment live amid contention from beer, vino and different modern beverages.

Among erstwhile Intangible Cultural Heritage inclusions are Kabuki theatre and Gagaku tribunal euphony from Japan, arsenic good arsenic Sona, which are drawings connected soil successful Angola; the Chinese zither called guqin and Cremonese violin craftsmanship from Italy. Washoku, oregon Japanese cuisine, won the honors successful 2013.

One crushed for sake's increasing popularity astir the satellite is that its creaseless spirit goes good with varieties of food, including sushi, spicy Asian and Western dishes, says Max Del Vita, a certified involvement sommelier and co-founder of The Sake Company, an import and organisation retailer successful Singapore.

"These brewers are taste stewards, passing down techniques done generations and blending past practices with quiescent innovation," helium told The Associated Press. "Sake is much than a drink. It is simply a surviving embodiment of Japan's seasonal rhythms, assemblage values and creator heritage."