about the origin of the word, but the most popular is that it is a corruption of the word , which was used for housewives and elderly women who supervised miko (shrine maidens). This is because sake brewing was the work of housewives at home and miko at Shinto shrines. It is a highly respected job in the Japanese society, with being regarded like musicians or painters. The title of was historically passed from father to son. Today new are either veteran brewery workers or are trained at universities. While modern breweries with cooling tanks operate year-round, most old-fashioned sake breweries are seasonal, operating only in the cool winter months. During the summer and fall, most work elsewhere, commonly on farms, only periodically returning to the brewery to supervise storage conditions or bottling operations. Varieties Special-designation sake There are two basic types of sake: and . is the equivalent of table wine and accounts for 57% of sake production as of 2020. refers to premium sake distinguished by the degree to which the rice has been polished and the added percentage of brewer's alcohol or the absence of such additives. There are eight varieties of special-designation sake. () is sake made using a special method called ginjō-zukuri (), in which rice is slowly fermented for about 30 days at a low temperature of 5 to 10 degrees Celsius (41 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit). Sake made in ginjō-zukuri is characterized by fruity flavors like apples, bananas, melons, grapes, peaches, pineapples, citrus, etc. In general, the flavor of sake tends to deteriorate when it is affected by ultraviolet rays or high temperatures, especially for sake made in ginjō-zukuri and unpasteurized namazake. Therefore, it is recommended that sake with the name ginjō be transported and stored in cold storage. It's also recommended to drink chilled to maximize its fruity flavor. () is a term used for the sake that is made of pure rice wine without any additional distilled alcohol. Special-designation sake, which is not labeled , has an appropriate amount of distilled alcohol added. The maximum amount of distilled alcohol added to is 50% of the rice weight, mainly to increase the volume, while the maximum amount of distilled alcohol added to special-designation sake is 10% of the rice weight, to make the sake more aromatic and light in taste, and to prevent the growth of lactic acid bacteria, which deteriorate the