There’s more than one variety of sake, the traditional rice wine of Japan.
“It’s just like beer, wine or coffee,” explains Bryan Thompsonowak, the director of education at Chestnut Hill’s Morris Arboretum & Gardens. “Each maker in each region that makes sake does it in their own way. So, it’s how it’s fermented, where it’s fermented, how long it’s fermented. There are different tasting profiles.”
Put it to the test yourself. Find out more about sake and sample three of them on April 2 at 5 p.m. as the arboretum sponsors “Sake and Sakura: Sip and Stroll.” And while you’re at it, stroll the grounds of this lush 92-acre garden and take in all of the fragrant white and pink cherry trees.
Morris sponsored a similar event fairly recently including sushi. This time, they’re simplifying a bit — just sake. Visitors will pick up their samples in the shade of a cherry tree, of course.
“Sip and stroll” pairings have become something of a theme at Morris. “Wine, Cheese and Trees” is a popular event come September. “Sake and Sakura,” Thompsonowak said, “was a logical next step. And a few years ago, we even did an oak tour with whiskey. We did it because of oak barrels. (Whiskey is aged in oak casks.) So, we’ve done different iterations on a certain species or family of trees and an alcohol pairing to explore those.”
The job of making this year’s selection of sake fell to Stephanie Bruneau, assistant director of adult education.
“We purchase it from a local liquor store,” Thompsonowak said. “They have a great selection. We choose different types of sake from different regions.”
Bruneau added, “We’ll have that information on hand for folks as they do their tasting, along with information about cherry trees in Japan, cherry trees at Morris. We hope they’ll learn something and have a nice spring evening as well.”
The goal, of course, is to connect people with plants in a unique way. And cherry trees just happen to be the star of the show about now.
At Morris, you don’t have to worry about peak viewing season. Morris boasts more than 200 cherry trees and 75 varieties.
“People always ask, what’s the peak viewing time? The nice thing about having 75 different varieties is that some will flower early and some will flower late,” Thompsonowak said. “So, our season of cherry blossoms is actually quite longer because we have so many different varieties. If we only had one species, they’d all go at the same time and all end at the same time. With so many different species and so many trees, we get a really nice extended season here.”
“Sake and Sakura: Sip and Stroll” is open to members and nonmembers. The cost for members is $35; nonmembers, $40. For more information, visit morrisarb.org or call 215-247-5777, Ext. 156.
Morris Arboretum is at 100 E. Northwestern Avenue (near Stenton Avenue).
