Sake, a Japanese exception

November 2011 Sake has as important a cultural connotation in Japan as wine in Europe. However, this beverage is not well known outside the Far East. Contrary to popular belief, sake is not a strong distilled beverage; it is in fact “rice wine”, produced by fermentation of rice in water, and the alcohol content is usually between 12 and 17 degrees. Sake, also called nihonshu in Japanese (meaning “Japanese wine”), is one of a number of beverages made from rice, but the exclusive appropriation ..