It looked like the aftermath of a party, except Masa Shiroki wasn’t in a celebratory mood.

Silver and red tape reflected the sun’s rays while food was scattered carelessly on the ground as Shiroki and his wife, Yukiko, stared dolefully at the aftermath.

A bird banquet, Canada’s only sake maker believes, destroyed two small test plots at Cinnamon Ridge where he planted rice in spring.

Rather than stalks hanging heavy with unprocessed grains, seed was scattered on the ground and the plants were an off colour – a complete wipeout of a year’s work. The red and silver reflective tape proved useless to ward off voracious starlings.

“I was devastated,” Shiroki said. “I never imagined the degree of damage would be so extensive.”

With heavy hearts, Shiroki and his wife left the test plots and headed back to Vancouver on a late summer day. Before they went home, however, the couple was determined to check another test plot, in Ashcroft, where they initially had far less confidence.

While the rice grown at Cinnamon Ridge was thriving in late August, Shiroki had lower hopes for the smaller Ashcroft plot because of scarce water.

Ashcroft farmer Randy Porter was “conservative in watering the plants,” Shiroki said.

And because rice plants are typically grown in flooded paddies, Shiroki worried the Ashcroft plot would yield little success.

But when the couple arrived in Ashcroft later the same day, they were overjoyed to see a small crop that could be harvested.

“We had disagreements along the way (about water),” Shiroki said of the oversight by Porter. “But he’s a farmer and he knew.”

The small success has convinced one of the few artisan sake makers in North America that he can add value to his products. Soon after Shiroki started production of his Granville Island-based Osake products two years ago he began thinking about sourcing rice locally.

Except, as far as he knows, rice has never been successfully produced on any commercial scale in this country.

Sustainability as well as catering to demand for local products “is what people are looking for,” Shiroki said.

In addition to the marketing appeal for Shiroki -- who also produces sauces from the leftover lees that are a byproduct of sake making -- is a potentially distinct tax advantage given by the B.C. Liquor Distribution Board for land-based wineries.

Current regulations stipulate land must grow about two acres of tree fruits or grapes to qualify for exemption from an excise tax. But Shiroki believes he could qualify if he grows his own rice for exclusive use in his sake.

The difficulty has come in finding the right climate. Tests in the Lower Mainland failed, in part because of insufficient sun. Based on his research, Shiroki said sake rice (he sources a variety used in Northern Japan) needs the amount of heat units that can only be achieved in the Southern Interior, similar to melons or tomatoes, for example.

He is now planning larger scale testing next year, with a goal of having a significant amount of rice for producing sake. For now he is looking for partner farms in the area but eventually wants to lease or purchase land for rice production.

“I’ve started looking for land now just outside of Kamloops.”

The couple harvested some of the Ashcroft rice earlier this month and planned to finish the job on the weekend. The contribution to his annual production of 12,000 bottles of sake a year will be tiny, but it represents promise for the future.

cfortems@kamloopsnews.ca