Sunflower Sake, Portland’s Only Sake Bottle Shop, Is Now Open | Eater Portland

"Tucked into a tiny, 300-square-foot space at 107 SE Washington St., #121, this shop grew out of Murphy’s cold-weather sake pop-up—a converted shipping container set up in the alley next to the wine bar Dame where locals would sit outside over flights and snacks—and has since become a potentially city‑unique bottle shop dedicated to sake. It sells more than 200 bottles, keeps roughly 30 bottles open at a time for glass pours and carafes, and offers custom flights served with imported Japanese otsumami (including dried squid tossed with Niigata kanzuri and dried scallop skirts marinated in soy and miso). Murphy prioritizes smaller labels, limited releases, and family-owned breweries, pairing pours with stories of fifth‑generation brewers, wine-trained brewers, heirloom-rice sakes, and chance-discovered yeasts; she also features “break-even bottles” to let people try pricier items and calls Junmai “the sourdough of the sake world.” Generous with her time, she hosts $15 drop-in classes every other week, plans community events and a winter festival with local companies like the Japanese market Fulamingo, and aims to make sake feel accessible and essential to Portlanders by highlighting its versatility, high umami, and everyday drinkability." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden