Sun Masamune Pty Ltd Producers of Go-Shu Australian Sake Products Sun Masamune's main product line-up includes five bottled sake wines: (from left) Nama, Go-Rin, Go-Shu, Go-Shu Blue, Go-Shu 40 and Tsunami, a sparkling sake cocktail. You might be surprised to know that in an immaculately presented and unassuming brewery and office facility in the foothills of the Blue Mountains in Penrith is based Australia's only producer of Japanese rice wine. Nestled next to the winding Nepean River, Sun Masamune brews one million litres of sake per year to supply its burgeoning market`s demands, a rate of production and distribution belying its pristine and quiet bushland surroundings. Sun Masamune, which has been operating since 1988, is owned by Osaka-based company Konishi Brewing, which is famous in Japan for the sake brand Shirayuki. Sun Masamune prides itself on using only Australian ingredients in its production processes such as pure water from the Blue Mountains and high-quality Japonica rice from the Riverina, an area in the Murrumbidgee and Murray River basins. The Riverina was the birthplace of Japanese rice in Australia and this Australian-grown Japonica rice is ideal for creating sake. However, it is the 450 years of brewing experience that Sun Masamune has inherited and its state-of-the-art technologies and purpose-built production facilities that enable these natural ingredients to form into such premium-quality sake. Sake Facts & Characteristics: ·Rice and sake were probably introduced to Japan from the Asian continent about 2000 years ago. ·Sake has had an honoured role throughout the evolution of Japanese society. Sun Masamune's purpose-built brewing facility in Penrith. ·It is a fermented rice wine, containing approximately 15% alcohol. ·It is not fortified or distilled. ·It does not contain preservatives or sulphites. ·Being made from rice, it is non allergenic, and contains no histamines. ·It is suitable for diabetics because of its negligible sugar content. ·Sake has lower acidity than wine. ·Sake, unlike most wine, contains no sulphites or added antioxidants. ·Sake has 400 flavour components, whereas wine has 200. ·Time does not improve sake; it is generally best to consume sake soon after purchasing it. ·Sake should be stored like wine, in a cool environment, away from direct light. ·In Japan, Nihonshudo, or Sake Metre Value (SMV), is often used to determine whether sake is either dry or sweet by measuring the amount of residual sugar and alcohol in it. A positive value means less residual sugar and therefore drier sake. Likewise, a negative value indicates sweeter sake. Information provided by Sun Masamune. The actual brewing and fermentation processes used to create sake are more similar to that of beer than wine, although the final product is closer to wine in terms of its 14-15 per cent alcohol content. The rice is polished, washed, soaked and steamed, after which a "koji" mould is added before it undergoes a three-day period of incubation. A culture of rice, koji rice, filtered water and sake yeast is then created to ferment the rice to alcohol. The sake is then filtered, pasteurised and stored in tanks for two to three months to mature and mellow. The polishing stage of production is a crucial one. For successful fermentation, the starchy centre of the rice must be exposed. This is achieved by polishing unnecessary fats and proteins away from the rice`s outer layer to varying degrees. To create quality "junmai" sake 30 per cent of the rice is polished away, to create higher quality "ginjo" sake 40 per cent is polished away and for the purest and highest quality "dai-ginjo" sake 50?60 percent of the rice`s outer layer is removed, leaving only the rice`s centre to be used. Head brewer Mr Hirofumi Uchiyama in the main storage and bottling area. Hirofumi Uchiyama, the second head brewer since the company was established in 1996, has spent more than 30 years working for Tatsuuma Honke, producers of the famous brand of sake Hakushika (White Deer). Besides his brewing expertise Mr Uchiyama has also been instrumental in developing sake by-products such as skin care and soap products and now Sun Masamune also produces a rice bran soap called Nuka, a by-product of the polishing/milling process. Nuka is a natural refreshing scrub soap rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and essential oils. Sun Masamune possesses the only machine in Australia which recycles rice bran so it can be used in by-products. Those interested in learning more about Sun Masamune`s sake production process can drop in to the on-site visitor centre, which is also a licensed retail shop, for a full explanation of the history, culture and technology involved in sake production and a tasting of Go-Shu sake. For further information on Sun Masamune and Go-Shu products please visit: www.sun-masamune.com.au 1) Rice polishing machine. 2) Brewing and storage vats. 3) Koji rice. 4) Pure sake after filtration. 5) Final inspection. Who's the boss? Interview: Allan Noble Managing Director Sun Masamune Pty Ltd Profile: Allan Noble is the charismatic bureaucrat-cum-businessman who runs Sun Masamune's operations from its office and factory in Penrith at the foot of the scenic Blue Mountains. Born to an Australian father and a Japanese mother, he is a truly bilingual individual who, through his extensive background in Australia-Japan relations in international business and government employment, has spent extensive time in Sydney, Canberra and Tokyo. As a man whose heart lies equally in both countries, he is the perfect choice to be leading such an exciting and ground-breaking Australian-Japanese enterprise. jstyle: Could you please describe your professional background? Mr Noble: I've been involved in Australia-Japan relations for the last 30 years and have worked at both state and federal government levels. I joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1976 and also spent many years with the Australia-Japan Foundation. Incidentally, 1976 was the year that the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, sometimes known as the Nippon-Australia Relations Agreement, or NARA treaty, was ratified and commercial relations were finalised. Throughout most of my career I've been involved in international business development between Japan and Australia. While I was working with the State Government I assisted Sun Masamune, helping establish the company from scratch. Once the site was chosen in Penrith, it was part of my role to introduce local government authorities, utility firms and companies to facilitate operations and full establishment only took six to eight months. I took over as managing director when the previous director, Mr. Keitaro Makuuchi, retired two-and-a-half years ago. Has your background influenced the way you approach your role of managing director? I'm a hands-on person so I like to involve myself in all levels of operation, from the production process upwards. I prefer to work with a small group of people who have a high level of understanding of the entire production process; that's the key to my business approach. I walk around a lot and speak directly with all of our employees. My background in international business development means that I've been able to manage a multinational workforce; we have Australian, Japanese and Sri Lankan employees and our entire company benefits from different approaches and perspectives. Have you made any significant changes to the business? Since becoming managing director I have focused on an across-the-board review of operations encompassing production, sales and marketing, right through to administration and management, streamlining operations under a typical pyramid structure. Streamlining can often be a painful process but I believe we are heading in the right direction. Of course petrol prices have skyrocketed in recent years and to be able to continue to supply our products at affordable prices has been a constant challenge; fine-tuning must be performed on an ongoing basis. What do you enjoy most about working at Sun Masamune? Creating something from scratch is certainly a joy. We brew premium sake from natural ingredients with natural processes which means that every batch has its own individual characteristics. The fermentation process is not a controlled regime; it's a creation of nature and very fascinating. Seeing everything take shape and visitors enjoying the final product in our tasting rooms gives me a lot of satisfaction. Naturally, good sales figures are very satisfying as well! Is sake being accepted by the Australian market? I think Australians are taking to sake quite well; the Australian market has been very welcoming of our products and I can comfortably say that in the last six years our sales here have doubled. Our sales in the US are also showing an increase of 20-30 per cent per annum as well. I?m very happy that we are continuing to thrive. Australia?s diverse and multicultural range of ethnic cuisines are well complemented by our products, particularly seafood and spicy dishes. Sake used to be considered a hard liquor or spirit but now it is being accepted and sold as a wine. It is a very versatile beverage which can be sweet or dry or served at different temperatures; this is why I think it is becoming so popular. What do you pride yourself on most in your work here? As a company, we pride ourselves on offering quality products at reasonable prices and on not making any compromises. The culture and central philosophy of our company here is to "thrive through innovation". Our parent company has given us techniques based on 456 years of tradition and experience; something we don?t take lightly. We feel it's our responsibility to preserve and, with our internationally-ranked state-of-the-art production facilities, further improve on this strong traditional base. What are your future plans for the company? I hope we can remain a part of the fabric of the Australian community by continuing to be an active local contributor. Through that community spirit I hope we can expand our operations into the Sydney metropolitan area and then into other areas of New South Wales. We will continue to grow but we will never forget our company's beginnings or traditions. At this time of the year, Allan recommends Go-Shu Blue, a medium-dry sake that, when served chilled, suits Australia's summer climate and aptly complements Thai and Vietnamese dishes, sashimi, seafood and finger food.