Published: 2025-01-29 05:10

山形 東根 日本酒を雪の中で熟成させる“雪中蔵囲い”始まる

日本酒を雪の中で熟成させて味をまろやかにする作業雪中囲い」が、山形県東根市酒造会社で始まりました。

雪の中で日本酒熟成させる作業は、東根市酒造会社で毎年この時期行われていますが、去年は暖冬影響で雪が不足して中止となり、ことしは2年ぶり実施となります。 28日は、はじめにおよそ10人の社員が先月完成した純米吟醸一升瓶48ケース、合わせて288本を木のやシートで覆いました。

そして、雪を次々かぶせていき、2メートルほどの高さまで積み上げられて、日本酒のケースをすっぽり覆っていました。

酒造会社によりますと、雪の中は2度から3度に保たれていて、この中で日本酒熟成させることで、滑らかで優しい飲み口仕上がるということです。 酒造会社の松岡茂和社長は「雪の中だからこそ生まれるまろやか味わい多くの方に楽しんでほしい」と話していました。

雪中囲い」で熟成された日本酒は3月上旬掘り出され、酒店やスーパーの店頭に並ぶということです。

# 言葉 意味
5 にほんしゅ (日本酒) : sake; Japanese rice wine
4 じゅくせい (熟成) : maturing; ripening; aging; ageing; curing; fermenting
4 しゅぞう (酒造) : sake brewing
2 まろやか (円やか) : 1. round; circular; spherical 2. mellow (flavour, voice, etc.); mild; smooth
2 さぎょう (作業) : work; operation; manufacturing; fatigue duty
2 せっちゅう (雪中) : in the snow
2 くら (蔵) : warehouse; storehouse; cellar; magazine; granary; godown; depository; treasury; elevator
2 かこい (囲い) : 1. enclosure; fence; wall; pen; paling 2. storage (of fruit, vegetables, etc.)
2 ひがしねし (東根市) : Higashine (city) (place)
2 おおう (覆う) : to cover; to hide; to conceal; to wrap; to disguise
1 やまがたけん (山形県) : Yamagata prefecture (Tōhoku area)
1 はじまる (始まる) : 1. to begin; to start; to commence 2. to happen (again); to begin (anew)
1 じき (時期) : time; season; period; phase; stage
1 おこなう (行う) : to perform; to do; to conduct oneself; to carry out
1 だんとう (暖冬) : mild winter; warm winter
1 えいきょう (影響) : 1. influence; effect 2. to influence; to affect; to have an influence on; to impact; to have an effect on
1 ふそく (不足) : 1. insufficiency; deficiency; shortage; lack; scarcity; deficit 2. dissatisfaction; discontent; complaint
1 ちゅうし (中止) : suspension; stoppage; discontinuance; interruption
1 ぶり (振り) : 1. style; manner; way 2. after (period of time) again (e.g. meeting again after a year); for the first time in (period of time)
1 じっし (実施) : enforcement; implementation; putting into practice; carrying out; operation; working (e.g. working parameters); enactment
1 およそ (凡そ) : 1. about; roughly; approximately 2. generally; on the whole; as a rule
1 しゃいん (社員) : 1. company employee 2. member of a corporation; company stockholder (esp. in legal contexts)
1 かんせい (完成) : 1. complete; completion 2. perfection; accomplishment
1 じゅんまい (純米) : sake made without added alcohol or sugar
1 ぎんじょう (吟醸) : ginjō sake; high-quality sake brewed by low temperature fermentation from white rice milled to 60%
1 いっしょうびん (一升瓶) : one shō bottle (1.8 litres)
1 あわせる (合わせる) : 1. to match (rhythm, speed, etc.) 2. to join together; to unite; to combine; to add up
1 いた (板) : 1. board; plank 2. sheet (of metal); plate (of glass); pane; slab
1 つぎつぎ (次々) : in succession; one by one
1 かぶせる (被せる) : to cover (with something); to put on (e.g. on someone else's head); to plate something (with a metal); to pour or dash a liquid (on something); to charge (a person with a guilt)
1 つみあげる (積み上げる) : 1. to pile up; to make a heap; to lay (e.g. bricks) 2. to acquire (e.g. experience); to build (a reputation)
1 すっぽり : 1. entirely; completely 2. cleanly; snugly
1 たもつ (保つ) : 1. to keep; to preserve; to hold; to retain; to maintain; to sustain 2. to last; to endure; to keep well (food); to wear well; to be durable
1 なめらか (滑らか) : 1. smooth (of a surface); glassy; velvety; soft 2. smooth (of an action, proceedings, etc.); fluent (speech); fluid; trouble-free
1 のみくち (飲み口) : 1. taste (of a liquid, esp. alcoholic beverages) 2. someone who enjoys alcohol
1 しあがる (仕上がる) : to be finished; to be completed; to be done
1 はやし (松岡) : Hayashi (surname)
1 しげかず (茂和) : Shigekazu (given)
1 こそ : 1. it is ... that ...; precisely; in particular; definitely; for sure; only (when, after, because, etc.) 2. although; while; it is the case that ... but
1 あじわい (味わい) : 1. flavour; flavor; taste 2. charm; appeal; interest; meaning; significance
1 おおく (多く) : 1. many; much; plenty; a lot 2. majority (of); greater part (of)
1 たのしむ (楽しむ) : to enjoy (oneself)
1 はなす (話す) : 1. to talk; to speak; to converse; to chat 2. to tell; to explain; to narrate; to mention; to describe; to discuss
1 じょうじゅん (上旬) : first 10 days of month
1 ほりだす (掘り出す) : to dig out; to pick up
1 さかだな (酒店) : alcohol-selling shop
1 てんとう (店頭) : 1. shopfront; storefront; shopwindow; (near the) shop entrance 2. over-the-counter