Photos
courtesy of Nino
Marchetti
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A treat
that is uniquely Oregon.
By
Nino Marchetti
For Oregon.com
What do you know of saké? The Japanese drink you're
probably used to consuming at your local sushi bar often burns the
back of your throat. The aptly named "fire water" goes cold
though at SakéOne, a sakéry in Forest Grove at the far
western reaches of the Portland Metro area. It's here, brewed with
water from an Oregon rainforest aquifer, that some of America's only
home grown rice wine is produced in the cold saké style.
Driving through pleasant farms into Forest Grove and following the
signs to SakéOne leads to a turn off from the Tualatin Valley
Highway (OR-47). You head into a slightly industrial area - not the
place you'd expect to find a place making a premium wine product.
The sakéry sits in what looks like a warehouse, with a smaller
building out front holding the tasting room and offices. Don't drive
away though thinking its somewhere else - you'll miss a treat that
is uniquely Oregon.
SakéOne
820 Elm Street
Forest Grove, OR 97116
503-357-7056
About
SakéOne:
Pure water: it's one of the most crucial components of
saké; premium saké cannot be brewed without
quality water. After our founders realized that the country's
best water supply for saké was the Pacific Northwest,
they located their new saké brewery in Forest Grove,
Oregon, on the east slope of the Coast Range, in 1997.
SakéOne, the country's foremost sakéry,
was built at the edge of a lush rainforest aquifer.
Hours: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m daily.
Getting there: SakéOne is located just off
of the Tualatin Valley Highway (OR-47). Watch for the
signs.
For more information about SakéOne,
visit their web site at www.sakeone.com or contact them
at 503-357-7056. |
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Tasting
room? That's right - your first chance to get to know SakéOne's
10 sakés comes via interaction with manager Jennifer Brownstein
and her knowledgeable crew of saké pourers. You'll perhaps
learn, as you taste, about how only select rice is used in the making
of this drink and that the extent to which the rice is polished (removing
undesirable fat and protein from the exterior of the grain) determines
the quality level and grade of what you are drinking.
Settling into the SakéOne tasting room, surrounded by saké
bottles and associated gear, you'll come to be surprised at how different
this saké tastes from what you are used to. The style of cold
saké brings out a different character essence in these drinks,
invoking tastes more akin to what you might get if you were to taste
at one of the nearby wineries.
And this cold saké style - what is it? It involves both the
quality production which goes into the creation of the end product
and how it is served when being enjoyed. You can learn more about
these both in the tasting room and also a twenty minute tour of the
sakéry offered several times daily during the afternoon. During
the tour in particular you'll learn about rice milling techniques
and brewing while glimpsing a cedar-lined room which houses the koji
(mold) used as an important ingredient in the saké making process.
 Standing
out among the SakéOne line is G. This cask strength saké
is geared the most towards wine drinking Americans and is a premium
treat in sharp packaging. Tasting this smooth alcohol revealed sensations
of melon and honeydew delivered in a full body experience inside the
mouth.
Those
who like even more interesting fruit tastes might consider a bottle
of infused Moonstone saké, perhaps best enjoyed in the sakéry's
tranquil outdoor stone garden. The Moonstone line includes four choices
of natural fruit flavors paired with rice wine. These include Asian
pear, coconut lemongrass, plum and raspberry. Tasting these found
the pear to be silky on the palate and the coconut lemongrass, milky
in color, the sweetest of the lot. And yes, there were definitely
hints of coconut as well.
Joining the Moonstone and G lines is also the more traditional Momokawa
line. Named to honor those from Japan who helped to get SakéOne
off the ground, the four sakés of this family range in style
from very dry to sweet and fruity. The sweetest of these is the Pearl,
which stood out with bright notes of anise and banana before mellowing
to a more moderate finish.
Those seeking to enjoy SakéOne for more than just saké
tasting will be happy to make the trip out there for several reasons.
Sakétini Saturdays on the third Saturday of each month typically
bring crowds to enjoy sake-infused cocktails. There's also a new grassy
area with picnic tables and a stage where summertime concerts occur.
The SakéOne folks also plan to expand the tasting room into
a more upscale affair complete with a full kitchen. With this they'll
be able to hold pairings of food and saké as well as offering
a sushi rolling class.
So put down that glass of "fire water", gather some of your
saké loving friends and head out to SakéOne to taste
saké in a new way. You'll quickly come to understand why this
sakéry has come to be such an award-winning establishment.
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