Rosé Sake Is the Summer Drink You’re About to See Everywhere
By Shana Clarke
Shana Clarke is a freelance journalist, specializing in wine, sake, and travel. She holds a Level 3 Advanced Certification from Wine & Spirits Education Trust and is a Certified Sake Sommelier.
Published on June 17, 2025 Food&Wine
There’s no surer sign that summer is underway than the ubiquity of rosé wine in every glass and on store shelves. It’s safe to say that rosé has gone from a trend to a warm-weather mainstay in just a couple of decades.
As rosé wine became the unofficially-official drink of summer, sake producers in Japan noticed an opportunity to tap into the zeitgeist. In the last few years, innovative iterations of blush-colored sake have made their way Stateside. Here’s what to know about sake rosé.
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An evolution revolution
The first rosé sakes employed stereotypically feminine marketing, emphasizing their low alcohol content, and fizzy, somewhat sweet nature through playful packaging. But with advancements in production, and as rosé crossed all demographics (brosé, anyone?), today, “rosé sake is being taken a lot more seriously,” says Monica Samuels, president of sake importer Komé Collective.
At this weekend’s Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Samuels will be participating in multiple beverage seminars, including Sake vs. Wine: The Ultimate Showdown. She notes that as rosé sake’s reputation grows, the structure of those sakes has also changed. “There’s more balance, acidity, and umami,” she says. “The alcohol is higher. It’s not just a sweet, frothy beverage.”
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Yeast
There are several ways to make rosé sake, says Samuels. A brewer might ferment with nontraditional yeasts, utilize pigmented rice varieties, or infuse botanicals.
Hideyuki Takizawa of Takizawa Brewery relies on a special red yeast to impart the pink color for his Hitosuji, a traditional method sparkling sake. Originally a mutant strain of a wild yeast, it was isolated, studied, and is now available for commercial use.
“One problem with the yeast is that it has a weak ability to start fermentation,” says Takizawa. As a result, the red yeast requires a higher temperature to both spring into action and impart its valuable hue. Because it’s very sensitive, Takizawa isolates it from standard brewer’s yeast to ensure the more powerful yeasts don’t take over and cause color to drop out.
In normal sake production, sake is pressed off from the sake kasu (sake lees) once fermentation is complete. In his early stages of experimentation, Takizawa found the color stayed in the lees, but the sake still came out clear. Now, he has a special, undisclosed technique (“trade secret,” he says) to guarantee the liquid’s rosy color. The result is a petal-pink, juicy sparkler with notes of ripe strawberry.
Rice varieties
Recent developments in rice varieties offer brewers another opportunity to create a rosé sake. Kazuhiro Shiokawa, the toji (master brewer) of Shiokawa Shuzo, uses a purple-black rice variety called Kodaimai for his Crimson bottling. “This rice has a huge concentration of polyphenols versus other types of red rice that might be used,” he says.
Chrysanthemin, a polyphenol whose very name conjures up an aromatic bouquet, brings an intense umami quality to this sake. “I’m seeing more wine in sushi restaurants in Japan, and I want to see more sake in non-Japanese restaurants here and overseas,” says Shiokawa.
Crimson is a saturated rosé, fairly vinous; think more along the lines of a chilled red. Implementing the kimoto method, an ancient technique that yields a bold sake, in the early stages of the fermentation process, Crimson gives the sensation of high acidity and umami. It also clocks in at 12.5% ABV, an alcohol level more in line with wine than sake.
Infusions
For Niichiro Marumoto, president of Marumoto Shuzo, infusing botanicals into the moromi (rice mash) was the perfect solution for Hana Hou Hou Shu, a Charmat-method sparkling rosé sake.
“After evaluating the aroma and flavor profiles, we found that using rosehip and hibiscus offered a superior result compared to red yeast or red rice, and thus chose to adopt this approach,” says Marumoto of the Prosecco-like sparkler. “Rosehip, rich in lycopene, is known for its beautifying effects on the skin, while the vividly colored hibiscus contains abundant vitamin C and citric acid, which are highly effective in reducing fatigue. This led to the creation of Hana Hou Hou Shu.”
Will it make the drinker more attractive? Hard to say. But the tart and juicy fruit notes are certainly delicious.
How to pair rosé sake
Because rosé sakes fall on the fresh and fruity end of the flavor spectrum, Samuels recommends pairing them with foods that have a similar profile. “Frisée salad with a Champagne vinaigrette, young and tangy cow’s milk cheeses, or fruit like grapefruit, are interesting ways to bring out flavors,” she says. “Because they are not super-savory, or have the power of aged sakes, I would keep it light and fresh with the pairings.”
This summer is the perfect time to say “yes, way,” to sake rosé.
Credit- Food&Wine