Our Wine Advent-ure: Day Five

We’re wrapping up the first week of working our way through the Advent Wine Calendar our adult children so thoughtfully gave us at Thanskgiving.

Last night, our Wine Advent-ure took us to Japan and a sampling of an “ordinary sake” by the name of Ryokō. The purveyor of the wine calendar included sake alongside other wines from around the world to highlight its versatility and ability to pair well with a variety of cuisines.

Recommended foods included tempura, yakitori, sushi and sashimi, ramen and edamame. In light of the purveyor's desire to highlight its ability to pair well with a variety of cuisines, I expected non-Asian recommendations.

No matter. We had edamame and potstickers in the house.  We got a California Roll and Rainbow Roll from our favorite sushi restaurant, Miyabi, and prepared our feast. 

At room temperature, the Ryokō was forgettable. Very light with almost nothing of note. Enter a pot of boiling water.  I set the bottle in that water and, a few minutes later, it had opened up and was as good as any "ordinary sake."  

While pleasant, those who want to stretch their palates might want to visit their local Asian market and pick up several small bottles of a variety of sakes, including an unfiltered variety to provide contrast. That might tickle your tongue and tonsils in unexpected ways.

On Monday, we'll recap the three wines we'll be trying on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Please join us then.

 

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Photos by Carl Dombek
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