Moonstone Asian Pear Sake
Going away from the reds and more traditional grape wines
for a bit, we have this delightful entries. Sake is one of my most favorite
comfort wines and I will happily knock through it, nice and warm (never
actually hot) nearly anytime, including summer, even if the sake isn’t all that
great. It is the first thing I reach for when I’m ill and if there is a wine
that transcends the HSC list in general, it is this type, as I loved it from
the jump and have never stopped. It is one my wife (see earliest posts of this
blog) does not seem to have any great fondness for, so it operates largely
outside of the list.
Sake, with fermented rice as the base, has its own distinct
character and variations, much like the appellations of the other wines here. This
particular one is very light and fruity and could function well as a dessert
wine. To my regret, a number of the liquor stores around don’t stock it and
it’s one I have to be somewhat careful not to buy large amounts of, as I will
happily consume it and keep going. The Momokawa (another excellent sake) is the
base for the Moonstones and this one, to me, adds just enough of a light splash
of Pear for it to be named that, but is definitely harder leaning towards sake
rather than a fruity drink.
Moonstone is clearly intending this to be closer to a
dessert wine, perhaps thinking more wine cooler, with the ad description:
“Imagine reaching up and picking a perfectly ripe pear off the tree, chilling
it down and enjoying it simple and clean.” This description, incidentally, is
somewhat false and really stretching, best case. This definitely does hit the
Asian pear notes, though, which are much more subtle and lighter than the
regular Bartlett pears, for instance. Light, refreshing and very satisfying,
definitely one of my all-around favorites…somewhat dangerously so, though I
suspect if I actually just went for it with a bottle, I probably would tire of the taste
somewhat quickly.
As with all non-red wines, the usual rating scale does not
apply here. I will say that this, like a number of sakes available, is very
moderately priced, usually between $ 12 - $14 a bottle for this one.
Unquestionably, well worth that.
