Sake from Gunma

How do water, climate and rice shape Gunma sake?

The Gunma Sake Brewers Cooperative says the prefecture's water comes mainly from the three Jomo mountains, Akagi, Haruna and Myogi, and is mostly soft, giving a gentle drinking style. Temperatures in the brewing season are low, which suits cold-season brewing. The sake rice Wakamizu was certified in 1991 as the first sake rice in the Kanto region.

What are Gunma KAZE yeast and Maikaze?

The prefecture developed "Maikaze", an all-Gunma sake, with the sake brewers' association and two prefectural research centres. It is made with the Gunma-bred sake rice Maikaze, prefecture-developed yeasts such as Gunma KAZE yeast, and Gunma water.

What does Gunma sake taste like?

Climate differs by area and by brewery, so the taste is not uniform. For Tone Numata in the north, the National Tax Agency's standard describes a clear, transparent taste with a moderate umami and a faint bitterness in the finish.

A short history of Gunma sake

The tax agency's document says proper sake brewing began in Tone Numata in the Edo period, and that 26 brewers were recorded in 1809. They formed a guild and exchanged information even then. Echigo toji once led the work; today every brewery there is run by an owner-toji or an in-house toji.

What is the GI "Tone Numata"?

It was designated for sake on 22 January 2021. The area is Numata City, Katashina, Kawaba, Showa and Minakami. Rice must be Yukihotaka, Gohyakumangoku or Koshihikari grown in the area, and water must be taken there with no treatment beyond settling and filtering. Yeast is limited to Gunma KAZE, Gunma G2 or house yeast collected in the area. Making, storing and bottling all take place in the area, and the GI Tone Numata Council checks each product.

Where are the breweries?

Association members include breweries in Maebashi, Shibukawa, Takasaki, Fujioka, Kanra, the Agatsuma district and Midori. In Tone Numata there are breweries in Numata City and Kawaba Village.

Visiting and what to eat with it

Tour rules and reservations differ by brewery, so check their official sites. The Tone Numata standard mentions the bitterness of spring mountain vegetables and dishes of local pork, beef and chicken as good matches.