Types of Sake Rice: Miyama Nishiki and Its Characteristics

Miyama Nishiki and Its Characteristics

美山锦及其特性

Miyama Nishiki was bred in Nagano Prefecture with the aim of replacing Takane Nishiki, and has spread widely throughout the Tohoku, Kanto and Hokuriku regions due to its suitability for sake brewing and its strong resistance to cold. Miyama Nishiki is renowned for its large grain and attractive shinpaku core of opaque starch, which resembles the snow capped peaks of the beautiful mountain ranges. And that is where the name comes from: Miyama literally translates to “beautiful mountain brocade”. It is the third most popular sake rice variety in terms of annual production after Yamadanishiki and Gohyakumangoku, but in recent years it has been declining due to the rise of original varieties in each prefecture.

美山锦是长野县培育出来的，目的是取代高岭锦。因其适用于酿造清酒和抗寒性强，在东北、关东和北陆地区广泛传播。美山锦以其巨大的谷物和吸引人的不透明淀粉芯而闻名，这就像美丽山脉的雪峰。这就是这个名字的来源:Miyama字面意思是“美丽的山锦”。从年产量来看，它是继山田锦和五百万石后的第三大清酒品种。但近年来，由于各县本土品种的增加，其产量逐渐减少。

Sake made from Miyama Nishiki can be described in one word: 'simple sake', as it tends to be light and thin, and has as a refreshing and clean taste. Its modest aroma means that it has no peculiar flavours and can be enjoyed even by those who are not fond of the unique aroma of Japanese sake.

美山锦酿造的清酒可以用一个词来描述:“纯粹的清酒”。它口感清爽，温和的香气意味着它没有特别的其他味道，即使是那些不喜欢日本清酒独特香气的人也可以享受它。

The reason for this is that Miyama Nishiki is an early rice variety, and is one of the first rice to be harvested each year. This means that the rice grows quickly and is hard, making it difficult to break up in the fermentation mash during brewing, releasing less flavour into the end product.

这是因为美山锦是早稻品种，是每年最早收获的水稻之一。这意味着大米长得很快，而且很硬，在酿造过程中很难在发酵醪中分解，最终产品的味道会清淡而不那么浓烈。

Recommended Miyama Nishiki Sake

最推荐的美山锦清酒

Since its establishment in 1832, Tatenokawa has been making authentic sake by hand, using traditional methods for almost 180 years. In 2010, in order to achieve a new 100 year vision, Tatenokawa established themselves as one of the only breweries to switch to a completely Junmai Daiginjo-only production.

自1832年成立以来，楯野川清酒厂一直在用传统方法手工制作正宗的清酒，已有近180年的历史。2010年，为了实现新的百年愿景，楯野川成为了唯一一家完全转向纯米大吟酿生产的清酒厂。

Tatenokawa Miyama Nishiki Nakadori is a sake that shows off the best characteristics of the rice. It has light, sweet, overall round flavor with balanced acidity and a pleasantly lingering aftertaste. Nakadori, which translates to "middle-cut", is the name given to the part of the fermentation mash with the best balance of aroma and flavour.

楯野川美山锦中取是一款能充分展示大米特性的清酒。口感清淡、香甜、圆润，酸度平衡，回味悠长。中取，翻译过来就是“折中”，是指发酵酒中芬芳和风味达到了完美的平衡。