It's undoubtedly a wonderfully alternative but worthy addition to the Christmas drinks cabinet, but there's so much more to sake.

However, in some notable cases, the alcohol level of umeshu can go all the way up to 35%, as is the case of the famous plum wine brewed by Choya (see below). After a few years, the plum and plum seed flavors develop into more bitter and more complex flavors in the wine.Ume plums first arrived in Japan from neighboring China, over 1,000 years ago, and rapidly grew in popularity. This fine rice is polished until only 38% of the grain remains, after which two full months are devoted to nurturing our Junmai Daiginjo Genshu sake to completion. If you are in a mood for adventure, try out the board, deer, or frog meat in the heart of Tokyo city.

Not only this bar has a staggering number of 100 varieties of Umeshu, but they also make their vintage craft wine. If you’re looking to sample tasteful, high class variations of the traditional plum wine, we recommend looking for a dedicated bar, wherever you are. After 100 days or 1 year or 2 years have you experimented on adding more sugar, sochu, fresh plum so that it becomes fusion, intense + adding tangerine or fruit pieces to make jam, pickle, jelly or dessert? In my imagination, it would pair well with dishes that include pineapple like sweet and sour pork or a chicken-pineapple barbecue. Here, you can enjoy various sortiments of sweet, matured, or strong plum wine in all its natural deliciousness.Fact : Although ume plums can be used to create some delicious beverages, or edibles (like umeboshi , a traditional, salty recipe that involves pickling the plums), they are not to be consumed by themselves. If this is a bit confusing, don’t worry, as the terms “plum wine” or “plum sake” are widely accepted and synonymous with each other to describe umeshu.