Sawa no Hana Junmai Ginjo Hitogokochi

Funny how just a slight change in the weather and temperature can change your cravings. The days are still pretty hot, but it has cooled down in the evenings quite a bit lately. For the first time this fall, I was craving creamy, hearty pasta. So, I mixed a jar of artichoke cream sauce with sake kasu, sauteed onion, heaps of butter, flour and non-fat milk to dish up with some big tube pasta.

Then the drink choice. I had already poured a good amount of Shichihonyari Junmai we had in the fridge from a couple nights ago in the sauce and it was almost gone. So which bottle to open? Sawa-no-hana Junmai Ginjo Hitogokochi was my pick. I brought it back when I visited the brewery and I remembered it had very good balance of san and umami. Indeed, it was a good match, leaving a bit of spicy tingling at the end with the savory taste of the sauce on the palette.

I first noticed Sawa no Hana when I saw the beautiful light blue and white summer label in June at a tasting. It is such an elegant, simple, and recognizable design that stands out from any other labels. Then, I found out Te-chan’s Mukune International Sake Brewing Program fellow alumnus, Greg, had joined the company as marketing person and kurabito!

Sawa no Hana Hiyaoroshi
blue and white label

So, I visited Sawa no Hana, in Saku, Nagano back in September. Just like the sepia pictures on Tomono Shuzo’s website from the Showa era, the brewery premises is filled with old charms of the old brewing kura and the guest house built in 1920′s. The sound of water running in small creeks soothed this visitor from Tokyo.

Just during the brief time I visited the brewery and chatted with Mr. and Mrs. Tomono, I was deeply moved by the aspects of their brewing lives, especially when Mrs. Tomono shared what her life was like as wife of a brewer. She has seen three generational changes with some major turns. In addition, every little corner of the site where the family lives and brews sake has such lovely history. Standing in the middle of the big tatami rooms at the guest house where Mr. and Mrs. Tomono had their wedding, I really felt I could picture them as bride and groom sitting in front of the beautiful wooden falcon carved on the wall over the door. I really hope that legacy is passed down to the next generation.

At Tomono Shuzo, they do not just dwell on tradition, though. For one thing, they hired Greg to be part of the brewing team of very young kurabito lead by the their son. The average age is something like 28. That’s really young in the industry. Also, they built a completely new brewing facility right next to the old site a few years ago. As seen on the blue label, they are working on a new look while keeping their traditional image. So, this is one of the kura I am really looking forward to watch and see new developments and changes while they stick to all the good things they have already going.

With the newest team member on board, I am sure there will be more information in English about Sawa no Hana in the future. To start off, Sakē Chronicles where Greg shares his life in Saku and his work gives insight to the life at the brewery.

Links:
Sakē Chronicles by Greg
Tomono Shuzo’s web site in Japanese