Dewazakura "Oka" Ginjo

Dewazakura "Oka" Ginjo

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72cl | ABV: 15.0%

Regular price £35.45
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Delicate yet captivating, this iconic Ginjo sake is a true expression of elegance. Light and aromatic, it opens with soft floral notes reminiscent of cherry blossoms, followed by subtle hints of juicy pear and fresh melon. Smooth, clean, and beautifully balanced, 'Oka', meaning "cherry blossom", embodies the grace and refinement of traditional Yamagata craftsmanship.

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MIX & MATCH, BUY ANY:

6+ Wines, 5% off • 12+ Wines, 10% off • 24+ Wines, 15% off

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Brewer or tōji (醸造責任者): 🧒 Shinichi Sato

Brewery: 🍶 Dewazakura · Yamagata Prefecture · Japan

Rice: Dewasansan - 50% Polishing 🍚

Behind the barrel: Believe it or not, just 40 years ago, ginjo sake was a rare find in Japan. Most folks were sipping the same old postwar brew, and the idea of paying more for something refined and delicate? Unthinkable. Enter Dewazakura, the rule-breaker. In 1980, they dropped a game-changer: Oka—a floral, crisp, cold-drink-it ginjo with a 50% polish rate and an everyday price tag. Boom. Suddenly, ginjo wasn’t just for competitions—it was for dinner tables, too. Other breweries scrambled to keep up, and just like that, sake got its groove back. Dewazakura didn’t have deep pockets or a centuries-old legacy—but they had vision. Right after WWII, they welcomed scientists from the National Research Institute of Brewing (yes, that’s a thing), including sake wizard Hideo Abe, and started shaking things up. By 1991, they’d mastered cold storage, aging sake at –4°C to lock in aroma and flavour. Then came Dewasansan in 1996, made with a brand-new Yamagata-grown rice. It was another hit—and kicked off a trend for hyper-local, regional sakes. By 2004? Yamagata breweries took home more gold medals than any other prefecture at Japan’s biggest sake competition. Not a coincidence. All thanks to a bold little brewery that dared to dream—and made the sake world pay attention.

Great with: Crab · Calamari · Tuna Tartare · Tuna Tartare · Pork Tenderloin · Grilled Asparagus

ASIN: 81482904232 · See all Sake

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