Cheese and sake pairing is growing in popularity. It’s not a ‘classic’ pairing, of course, like sake with oysters, dried fish, or mushrooms, as you might see almost anywhere in Japan that serves casual, rustic fare. It’s a recent development that’s mostly gained momentum outside Japan, influenced largely by the prevalence of such pairings in wine settings–and the analogies many attempt to make between wine and sake. We have a new twist for this: koshu (aged sake; see ST#11) and aged cheese.
It works wonderfully and is not as single-faceted as it seems. Koshu is often compared to sherry in flavor, which is certainly valid, but if your palate is familiar with koshu, you know the flavor can vary wildly, with rich notes of fig, cherry, cocoa nibs, licorice, dark chocolate, raisins, or even smoke. Oxidation works on sake in wild ways.
Here, we’ve started with Edo Genroku, a commercially produced koshu from Konishi Shuzô. We paired with aged Mimolette, aged Gouda, and aged Monchego. You could also try some smoked cheese, to bridge with the smoky notes perceptible in some koshu.
We’ve always written that rice pairs with rice, meaning rice-based dishes generally work well with sake. Well, what about wild rice? Absolutely. The flavorful rice varieties pair rather well with sake that has earthy, savory or rustic flavor (common among yamahai types, but not exclusive to them). If you want to dial up the flavor complexity, try different types of wild rice salads.
