NEW YORK ¨C When Yumiko Munekyo was a vice president at Nomura Holdings Inc. in 2011, she would take clients to upscale sushi spots around Manhattan. They¡¯d invariably order junmai daiginj¨, the highest grade of sake and also usually the priciest, but not always the most interesting or appropriate.
Munekyo knew better, having grown up in the Hokuriku region, a hub for jizake (artisanal sake). New York¡¯s top Japanese restaurants almost never stocked them.
¡°They were mainly serving daiginj¨, which is made from highly polished rice so it¡¯s elegant and floral, good with some fish but not with meat,¡± she says. ¡°I wanted different sakes that people could pair with food, like wine.¡±
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