How Lengthy Does Sake Final After Opening?

Many wines are price ready years for, however when you pop the cork, the clock begins ticking. Usually, an opened bottle of wine lasts simply two or three days, even underneath superb situations.

However relating to Japanese rice wine, or sake, the foundations are completely different. How lengthy can an open bottle of sake truly final within the fridge? Apparently, far longer than you’d count on.

In line with Monica Samuels, president of sake and spirits at California-based Vine Connections, who spoke at this yr’s Meals & Wine Traditional in Aspen, sake behaves far otherwise from wine primarily due to its uncooked materials: rice.  

“We all the time say sake is constructed like a beer, however drinks like a wine,” says Samuels. “However as a result of wine is constructed from fruit, it’s going to show into vinegar. And since sake shouldn’t be constructed from fruit, it doesn’t have these tart acids — you received’t have that enzymatic conversion that occurs within the bottle when it’s been opened.” 

As a result of it lacks the acids that trigger wine to bitter, sake stays much more secure after opening. However how lengthy it lasts is determined by the kind and composition of the sake.

“Whenever you’re gauging how lengthy a bottle can final — the durability of a sake — keep in mind that the upper the acid, umami, and alcohol content material you’ve gotten, the extra longevity you’re going to get,” provides Samuels.

How lengthy can you retain an open bottle of sake in your fridge?

Not like wine, which degrades quickly, an open bottle of sake can stay contemporary for as much as a month — generally longer — relying on the type. A normal rule of thumb is that high-acid, high-umami sakes have probably the most endurance, whereas low-acid, fragrant sakes needs to be consumed extra shortly. 

“Ginjo and daiginjo — these low-acid, high-aroma sakes — it’s best to in all probability pour inside two to a few weeks,” says Samuels. “Junmai, which is larger in acid and umami, might be superb for months.”

This makes sake an particularly versatile drink for the informal at-home shopper. You don’t should rush to complete the bottle in a few days.

“For individuals simply shopping for a bottle and ingesting at residence, a month is completely superb,” says Samuels. “I’ve a feminine producer and all of her sakes are aged and bottled for no less than a yr — they’re actually excessive acid and actually excessive umami — and so her sakes are indestructible.”

Which type of sake lasts the longest? 

In the event you’re on the lookout for a sake that may stand the take a look at of time in your fridge, junmai is your greatest wager. These sakes, made with solely 4 components — rice, water, koji, and yeast — comprise no additional alcohol added after fermentation, and are recognized for his or her larger acidity and savory depth.

“Whenever you see ‘junmai’ on the bottle — simply ‘junmai,’ with nothing else — that’s your greatest wager for top acid, excessive umami,” Samuels says. “Junmai can be a superb all-purpose, can-conquer-it-all sake to have in your fridge. A classically made junmai could have good umami, plus it goes with the whole lot.”

This makes junmai, which accurately interprets to “pure rice,” not solely long-lasting but in addition extremely food-friendly — a dependable selection for many who take pleasure in pairing sake with meals all through the week.

Which type of sake do you have to eat instantly?

On the flip aspect, types like ginjo and daiginjo, acknowledged for his or her aromatic, delicate aromas and better rice sharpening ratios, needs to be loved comparatively shortly. These are greatest consumed inside two to a few weeks of opening to completely admire their nuanced taste profiles.

“Probably the most ticking-time-bomb sakes that deteriorate the quickest are low acidity with actually excessive Ginjo aroma,” explains Samuels. “As a result of in case you have these actually exuberant notes — like tutti-frutti, lychee, melon, bubble gum — these issues will go away, however it received’t style unhealthy.”

As a substitute of turning disagreeable, these sakes merely lose their complexity. “It’ll simply style sort of boring after some time,” says Samuels. “The place I believe in case you have plenty of acid and umami and construction, these issues won’t go wherever.”

The excellent news? Even after weeks within the fridge, sake doesn’t deteriorate the best way wine does. You might lose a little bit of character and aroma, however you received’t be left with a bitter or spoiled product. “Junmai ginjos and junmai daiginjos don’t get funky,” says Samuels. “They don’t fall off a cliff like wine does when it’s been open for too lengthy. They simply turn out to be just a little extra easy. But it surely doesn’t style bitter, it doesn’t style extra boozy, it doesn’t style funky. It simply tastes sort of boring.”

So go forward, open that bottle of sake. You’ll have loads of time to take pleasure in it.