NV Takeda Katafune Junmai Ginjo Genshu Niigata 750 ml

Japan’s Answer to Burgundy

Last year I had the pleasure of attending the Niigata Sake No Jin Festival, a celebration that gathers nearly 90 of Japan’s premier sake producers to showcase the bounty of their season. As I entered the packed tasting room, which had a record attendance of 142,000 people, I spotted Takeda San in the center of the lively event, and made a beeline for his Katafune sake. But I didn’t expect the first taste poured in my traditional sake tasting ochoko—Takeda San’s Katafune Junmai Ginjo Genshu—to be the standout of the entire two-day event.

It was.

Sourced from the esteemed Niigata prefecture of Japan, the Katafune Junmai Ginjo Genshu is harder to pronounce than it is to enjoy. The region is known for its pristine waters, which make sakes (like this one) with incredible depth of flavor and elegance. In essence, this is Japan’s answer to Burgundy.

Bursting with an incredibly floral bouquet, this bright sake is fruity and muscular at the same time, combining elegance with a zippy, mouthwatering finish—like biting into a perfectly crisp green apple while standing in a lush field of wildflowers. I couldn’t help but to hug Takeda San, and congratulate him on this bottle, which has received Japan’s top award for sake not once, but twice.

Versatility is the name of the game with this unique bottling. This is the kind of sake that you can bring to an event and enjoy from a wine glass throughout an entire meal from canapes to dessert. While it is exquisite alongside smoked salmon with chives, it’s just as delicious with roasted duck breast, or an impromptu dinner at home with grandma’s chicken piccata and mashed potatoes.

When you approach Niigata on the bullet train, the mountains rise up like the Alps in the background, and fields of rice extend for miles giving the entire region fairy-tale appearance, and the sake is equally magical.

Its complex name does most of the explaining, showcasing the intense work that goes into each bottle: “Junmai Ginjo” sake is made of four ingredients, water, rice, yeast, and koji. The Niigata water gives it a velvety and silky texture. For rice, Takeda San relies on Koshitanrei, the preferred choice for premium sake in Niigata, which contributes roundness and definition on the palate. The yeast brings the fruity aromas, including citrus and pineapple notes.

Secondly, “Ginjo” means the rice grains were polished by 40% or more, creating a more elegant and sophisticated sake. In this case, Takeda San polished each grain by 45%—nearly half its weight—and used only the most pristine rice grains to yield this incredible sake.

But, that’s not all: “Genshu” means undiluted, making this bottle one of the few sakes bottled without the addition of water to yield a pure expression of the Niigata region. Then, he aged this release at low temperatures in 18-liter glass containers to concentrates the flavors and aromas.

Combined, Takeda San’s incredible energy and the Niigata prefecture’s pristine waters make this a powerful, aromatic, and impressive sake that encompasses a whole festival in the glass. Enjoy this as you would a fine Burgundy,  in a wide wine glass to allow the aromatics and texture to shine.

I hope—whether you pair this with sushi or spaghetti—you’ll love this sake as much as I do.

Eduardo Dingler
Professional Wine Judge and Certified Sake Expert