SakeOne-02 Selling Saké In America
You Already Know How To Do This!
5 Myths To Squash 1. Sake is not distilled. 2. Sake is not only served hot. 3. Sake is not only for Japanese food. 4. Sake is not only made in Japan. 5. Sake is not only for Japanese/Asian accounts.
5 Hurdles To Overcome 1. My customers are not interested. 2. It doesn t pair with my menu. 3. I don t want to invest in the little cups. 4. It won t sell fast enough. 5. My staff won t understand how to sell it.
5 Hurdles To Cross 1. My customers are not interested. Answer A. Sake sales growth outpaces wine. B. Sake is a dynamic, hip, increasingly demanded beverage. C. Give it a trial run and let them tell us they aren t interested.
5 Hurdles To Overcome 2. It doesn t pair with my menu. Answer A. Sake is low in acids and actually pairs with a wide range of foods including the more challenging flavors of asparagus, saffron as well as the range of Mexican and Chinese. B. Sake pairs with every cuisine from Asian options to French, Italian, German, BBQ, S. American, etc. C. Taste and find the perfect pairs with your menu.
5 Hurdles To Overcome 3. I don t want to invest in those little cups. Answer A. Don t. It s not necessary. B. Sake is best served in a wine glass. A rocks or bucket will also do.
5 Hurdles To Overcome 4. It won t sell fast enough. Answer A. Promote it on menus, suggest pairings, have a set of sakétinis, display bottles on your bar, offer flights, and it will move. B. A bottle of sake will hold up for at least two weeks if the cap is put back on and it is refrigerated.
5 Hurdles To Overcome 4. It won t sell fast enough. (Continued) Answer C. 5 ways to make sure it does: 1) Sell by the glass. 2) Sell by the bottle. 3) Offer sake flights. 4) Have a set of sakétinis using each sake you offer. 5) Let the chef have fun and prepare specials with it.
5 Hurdles To Overcome 5. My staff won t understand selling it. Answer A. Staff trainings will solve that. B. Sake 101 pocket guides keep them on top of the terminology. C. Online SakeOne-01provides in-depth educational opportunity to learn on your own schedule. A test is available. D. They want to understand sake because it is an increasingly important beverage category.
Ok, so how do I present sake?
Presenting To Asian Accounts 1. Understand the differences in Asian accounts. 1. Japanese/Japanese 2. Japanese 3. Asian/Fusion
Presenting To Asian Accounts 1. Understand the differences in Asian accounts. A. Japanese/Japanese a) Japanese owned. Generally traditionally focused. b) Present import options with diversity of style.
Presenting To Asian Accounts 1. Understand the differences in Asian accounts. A. Japanese a) Conceptually Japanese but may be owned by American born Japanese and other ethnic groups. b) Tend to be less sake educated (not always), less Japan specific product demands. c) Imports should still lead but look to well priced Oregon options and small format bottles as well. Infusions for sakétinis.
Presenting To Asian Accounts 1. Understand the differences in Asian accounts. A. Asian/Fusion a) Crosses culinary geography. b) Sake is not dictated by culture. c) Diverse styles, infusions, good price points should be considered for presentation.
Presenting To Asian Accounts 1. Fear not. They may know less about sake than you do and this is an opportunity to educate. 2. Review their existing list and understand what they offer. 3. Present options that fill in stylistic gaps. 4. Present flavor diversity. 5. Suggest size options. 6. Know their menu and suggest options for pairing.
Presenting To Non Asian Accounts 1. Dispel the myths & break down the hurdles. 2. Point to others who are having success. 3. Know their menu and be prepared to offer sake options that fit. 4. Turn them on to glass pours, bottles, sakétinis, flights and cooking. 5. Suggest trial period incorporating all uses. 6. Offer stylistic, price and flavor range.
Storing Sake Sake is bottled for consumption, not for aging. Unlike wine, more like Scotch. However, unlike Scotch, sake does not hold up for a long time in the bottle, maybe 12 18 months at average room temperature. Longer if stored cold. So, it is again, beer like. Freshness matters and buying to consume within a short amount of time should rule purchasing patterns. Should you choose to store it, put it in the fridge. If you put it in the cellar with your wine and allow it to age for a few years it may be better to simply leave it there. A recent tasting of a 5 year old, cellar aged, sake was an unpleasant event. What once once a great bottle of sake had gone very bad. A similar tasting of a 10 year old sake that was cold stored presented a very pleasant and surprising evening.
Stylistic Diversity Sake has 7 categories and from these come thousands of styles. Luckily there are a set of core styles to focus on.
Classification Futsu (Foo-tsu): Basic, table sake made quick and cheap. Think bulk, cheap box wine. Honjozo (Hon-jo-zo): Sake that contains any amount of added spirits. Can be very little as in the case of artisanal sake or can be a large quantity as in the case of Futsu. Junmai (June-my): Pure sake, containing only rice, water, yeast and koji. Quality and flavors vary greatly.
Classification Ginjo (G-in-jo): Sake made from rice that is polished/milled to at least 60% of its original size. Has added spirits in small amounts. Junmai Ginjo: Sake made from rice that is polished/milled to at least 60% of its original size. Nothing added.
Classification Daiginjo (Die-gin-jo): Sake made from rice that is polished/milled to at least 50% of its original size. Has added spirits in small amounts. Junmai Daiginjo: Sake made from rice that is polished/milled to at least 50% of its original size. Nothing added. Ginjo and Daiginjo can be either Honjozo or Junmai. A label that does not state Junmai is Honjozo which is rarely stated on the label.
Sake Classification Junmai Daiginjo Junmai made with rice polished to at least 50%. Ultra Premium. Daiginjo Honjozo made with rice polished to at least 50%. Ultra Premium. Junmai Ginjo Junmai made with rice polished to at least 60%. Premium grade. Note that a name that does not include Junmai implies that the saké is Honjozo. The term Junmai can only be applied to pure saké. Ginjo Honjozo made with rice polished to at least 60%. Premium grade. Junmai Saké made from only the 4 pure ingredients (rice, water, yeast & Koji). Nothing else added. Futsu Basic table saké. Cheaply made and generally low in quality. Honjozo Saké with distilled alcohol added. Small amounts in artisanal saké and larger volume in cheap options.
Stylistic Variation There are many styles, here are a few Infused: An American addition but slowly showing up in Japan. Simply means flavor added whether with raw fruit or flavor concentrate. Karakuchi: Dry or very dry. Genshu: Undiluted. Nama: Raw, unpasteurized. Nigori: Partially filtered. Literally means cloudy
Stylistic Variation Organic: USDA certified organic sake is important in today s marketplace. Shizuku: Saké filtered by allowing it to slowly drip from cotton bags with no pressure applied. Often found with Daiginjo. Tanrei: Light clean and crisp style. Tokubetsu: Designates a special saké. Often made with rice milled more than standard. Yamahai: Lactic acid is allowed to naturally form instead of being artificially added like all other premium sake. The result is errant bacteria being allowed to leave their footprint which translates to a gamey aroma and flavor.
Putting A Name Together The sake name is a string of descriptors that define what is in the bottle. By understanding the classifications and the main styles you can easily know what each saké is. Be careful though, not all terms go together like Junmai Honjozo, or Shizuku and Funashibori. Can t have both in one saké. Junmai Ginjo Nigori Genshu Yamahai
Diversity and Range Beat the competition sell by style! One saké expert figured out long ago that the way to sell more sake is to present a well thought out, strategically assembled set of saké. That is, walk in the door with a stylistically diverse selection across the brands you represent and have back up options that you can replace to meet the buyers flavor profile expectations if needed. Consider preparing a sample saké menu or list on paper with photos and notes and present it with the tasting. This often makes the job easy and you already have a menu ready for them.
Diversity and Range Beat the competition sell by style! If an account, both on and off-premise, offers only a $6 saké and a range of over $20 saké, then you can easily walk in with a selection of $12, $16 and $20 quality options. If they offer only Junmai Ginjo and Nigori, you walk in with a Tanrei Junmai, Nigori Genshu, Daiginjo, Tokubetsu Honjozo, Genshu, and a few infused offerings. Saketinis anyone? A few infused saké offer mixologists new flavors and ideas to work with. It adds new $$ to the menu and bottom line.
Set Them Up Diversity. Well priced glass pour(s). Tasting flights. Sakétini list. Pairing suggestions. Staff training. Cooking suggestions.
Sample List This is merely an example. Many Options Exist. Dry Junmai: Murai Family Tanrei Junmai. Fruity Junmai: Yoshinogawa Echigo Junmai. Organic: Momokawa Organic Ginjo (Junmai). Genshu: G Joy. Ginjo: Yoshinogawa Gokujo Ginjo. Nigori: Murai Family Nigori Genshu. Daiginjo: Murai Family Daiginjo. Covers the range of a well priced imported Junmai, an organic offering, dry and classic styles, Nigori, a bold premium Genshu and a super premium Daiginjo. Will cover the range of diverse menus.
Walk Out The Door Wine Simplification Sake (generic Gekkeikan): Bag-in-box wine. Junmai: Fighting varietal. Ginjo: Estate - Reserve level wine. Daiginjo: Single vineyard specialty bottling.
Walk Out The Door Action Get your self moving with an easy trade up. Take Momokawa Diamond out today/tomorrow and offer it as a quality trade up from cheap hot sake, yet at a reasonable price. #1 750 ML Junmai Ginjo in the US per Nielsens (2/2010) Excellent glass pour price. Great flavor step up. 750 or 300 ml options.
Last $ Point Accounts already carry your beer, wine & spirits. Sake simply needs to be presented. Doing so increases your sales which increases the money in your pocket. Who s selling sake today?