Sake is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin that is made from fermented rice. In English Sake is sometimes called Rice Wine but the brewing process is more like beer production, converting starch to sugar during fermentation. In Japanese, the word Sake (Sah-keh) generally refers to any alcoholic drink, while the beverage we refer to as Sake in English, meaning Rice Wine is actually called Nihonshu. Sake is now produced outside Japan, including USA & Australia.