I like sushi but I've never been very enthusiastic about saki since I much prefer regular beer with sushi. A recent post on a sushi ng enthuses over a saki costing $95 a bottle. I'm not trying to start a fight but I wonder if any wine drinker here has tasted a saki for which they were willing to pay that sort of price?
Bear in mind that Japanese culture has an innate snobbery (they are certainly not alone in that, of course) that makes them a ready market for ultra high end anything - hifi gear, Scotch, wine, sake......
So no, although I have tasted some of the very expensive sakes, they do not strike me as being worth anywhere near what they cost, but then I am not trying to impress my neighbour when I pull a cork.
One thing the Japanese tourist market locally does is create an apparently inexhaustible demand for sickly sweet ice wines made in Canada and sold for ridiculous amounts in fancy half bottles.
They probably offer as good value as the premium sakes....which is not very good!
OTOH, several of the premium sakes I've tasted were both interesting and very good - I just balk at the prices, but then bear in mind that I also balk at paying the asking prices of current Bordeaux releases...
Just for the sake of clarification, are you referring to ice wines in general, Canadian ice wines in particular, or just certain Canadian ice wines? Again, I'm just asking for clarification, not trying to start an argument (although one may ensue among others). I don't have a dog in this fight.
Vino To reply, add "x" between letters and numbers of e-mail address.
Jim, I have had a number of mid-to-high end sakes, most recently at Morimoto in Philly. They are generally drunk chilled and have a delicate, almost floral character. Are they worth $95 a bottle? Is Le Pin worth $1,000 a bottle?
Mark Lipton
p.s. A few years ago, RP wrote an interesting article entitled IIRC "The Sumo Taster" in WA. In there, he tasted through a fairly wide selection of sakes and was very favorably impressed by some.
Canadian ice wines. While some are pretty decent, few rival a German Eiswein or other late harvest wine in terms of complexity and subtlety.
Rather, they try to overawe with as high RS and as concentrated flavours as they can pack in.
A similar contrast, if you will, as you'd find comparing many New World over-oaked ultra-fruited cabs with an elegant Bordeaux.
If power is what turns one on (and it seems to be, at least when people first become interested in wine), then most Canadian ice wine might appeal. According to some of the Japanese tourists themselves, much of the appeal (aside from the sweetness) is the perceived exclusivity and high price of these products.
'RS' ?
Vilco
Exactly. I've tasted some expensive ($50-70) sakes that I thought were good, but never one that made me go out and look for it. But.......few people without drinking much wine think ANY bottle is worth $50. If I really drank sake on a regular basis, my guess (though not certainty) is I would develop a more discerning palate. Whether I would start buying $100 bottles is an open question.
Vilco, RS is residual sugar. Dale
Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply
Thank yoy very much
Vilco
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