Watari Bune Junmai Ginjo 55

Watari Bune 55– layered, elegant, approachable

At a Glance: Watari Bune 55 is the epitome of balance. Everyone has their own tastes, but it seems we can all agree Watari 55 is delicious. Chawanmushi onegaishimasu!

Watari Bune 55 is a complex Junmai Ginjo that displays a wide variety of characteristics. Some tasting notes include fresh flowers, steamed brown rice, crushed rock, melon, and pineapple. The aromatics are strong, and it’s expansive on the palate. This Ibaraki standout is pasteurized once in-bottle (namachozo) and unfiltered (muroka), giving it more intensity, vibrancy, and acidity. That said, it stops far short of the sometimes wild and powerful Namazake.

Pairing/ Service

Watari Bune 渡舟 55 is one of the more versatile seishu for the table– pairing with a large range of dishes. Ankimo and ankou-nabe, soba-based dishes, and persimmon are classic. It’s spectacular with chawanmushi. Other pairing recommendations include cheese, uni, kani, saba, kama shioyaki, gindara, ramen, all things nigiri and sashimi, and maki-mono. 

This Junmai Ginjo shows best with a slight chill, but cold-luke warm is the broad range. A white wine glass really puts the complexity of this brew on display.  Smaller o-choko will accentuate the fruit and soften the vibrancy and acidity.

Tech & Product Info

Junmai Ginjo Namachozo Muroka

Rice: Wataribune milled to 55%  Yeast: #9

Shubo: Sokujo   Yabuta Press   Aged: 3-8 mo. in tank

SMV: +3   Acid: 1.5   

Amino Acid: 1.1   ABV: 15.5%

Joto Sake tech sheet

the Huchu Homare Brewery

Brewery: Huchu Homare Shuzo 府中誉 “Pride of Huchu”    Location: Ishioka, Ibaraki

EST: 1854        Official Site     US Importer– Joto Sake 

Huchu Homare (“Pride of Huchu”) is a well-respected brewery from Ibaraki. They were “mentored” by Sudo Honke to a degree, but today, are thoroughly their equal. The brewery’s “Huchu Rokui” spring water is medium-soft in hardness. Produces about 12K cases (12 bottles 720ml, 6 bottles 1800ml) annually. Style: “abundant but balanced fruitiness offset by light nuttiness and earthiness”. Their sake available in the US are typically Namachozo.

Huchu Homare famously revived the heirloom Watari Bune sakamai, and now makes several sake using the characterful grain. They work with several local farmers to grow the fickle rice– about 4ha in all. The brewery mills their rice in-house. This extra step means better control over the process and better results during fermentation.

With a lot of fertile soil, Ibaraki is dominated by agriculture. Ibaraki buckwheat (soba) is considered some of the best in Japan. Persimmon, grapes, pears, and rice are also major crops. The coast of Ibaraki is famous for monkfish (ankou)– in particular the liver (ankimo), and as ankou-nabe (stew). Using the indigenous Watari Bune grain, Huchu Homare’s sake is well-suited to pairing with these regional dishes. Huchu Homare also recommends Watari Bune with foie gras, pate, risotto, lamb, and pork.

informative Japan Times article       a solid Urban Sake report

Label / Kanji 

Huchu Homare 府中誉  Watari Bune 渡舟

Junmai Ginjo 純米吟  55 五十五

Namachozo 生貯藏  Muroka 無濾過

Ibaraki-ken 茨城県