Fuji Su Premium Rice Wine Vinegar, Iio Jozo, Japan

It took Iio Jozo 20 years to develop this rice wine vinegar. The brewery had Daiginjo sake, with its delicate aroma, as a model. Eight times more rice than legally required is used for this vinegar, and a very long maturation time is allowed. Very deep umami. Best eaten raw. For sushi, pickles, and dressings. The Iio Jozo vinegar brewery from the Kyoto province is often described as the best in all of Japan. This is primarily due to the extremely high quality standards of its basic products. The rice, which comes from local contract farmers and some of which is grown on the brewery`s own farm, is cultivated without pesticides. As with all traditionally fermented rice vinegars, sake is brewed first, which is why the term rice wine vinegar is more appropriate. This is fermented into vinegar in around 100 days and then left to mature for another eight months. Large vinegar producers only need one day. By law, rice vinegar can only be called rice vinegar if it is brewed with at least 40 grams of rice per liter of vinegar. Iio Jozo uses 200 grams for its regular vinegar and 320 grams for its premium vinegar.