Wada Sakura Gokoro Tokubetsu Junmai

Wada Sakura Gokoro Tokubetsu Junmai (桜ごころ特別純米) is made of Dewa 33 rice grown in Yamagata Prefecture that was milled down to 55% and Yamagata yeast. It has a soft, full-bodied flavour. It brings out the full flavour of the rice yet has a sharpness to it. A well-balanced sake with a robust flavour and refreshing acidity goes well with all types of food. This label is distributed in March and April by Oosima (株式会社大島).

Kahoku-chō is situated at the heart of Yamagata Prefecture, with Mogami River which is affluent in water to the east, and Sagae River, a source of cool water, to the south. The land is blessed with natural surroundings, such as the permanently snow-covered Mount Gassan in the west, and the famous Zao in the south. Kahoku is famous for its rice and safflower production. The harvested safflower was transported to Kyōto by Kitamae boats and used for women's lipstick and as a dye in Kyōto culture. At that time, many of the Kyōto dolls were brought to Kahoku in exchange for safflower, and every year on the 2nd and 3rd of April, the town holds a hina market and a hina festival, one month after the regular hina matsuri.

Wada Brewery was established in 1797 in Yachi, Kahoku-chō, Yamagata. It is mentioned in the Tokōshōninkan (東講商人鑑), a merchant book written in the Edo period. The registered trademark "Aratama" is said to denote a happy occasion. "Aratama" (あら玉) is a makura kotoba in Japanese waka poetry referring to the New Year. The brewery aims at brewing high-quality sake in small quantities. Eighty per cent of the production is consumed locally. In the years between 1991 and 2019, Wada Brewery received 18 Gold Awards in the "National New Sake Contest" (全国新酒鑑評会). In 2019, the brewery received the highest award in the Ginjō category in the "Tohoku Sake Contest" (東北清酒鑑評会).