Why Do Rice Vinegars Cost So Differently? Junmai Fujisu of Miyazu, Kyoto, and the Answer of Rice

Look at the rice vinegars on a supermarket shelf and you will see the same bottle size priced anywhere from a few hundred yen to over a thousand. They all say rice vinegar. So where does the gap come from?

Most of the answer hides in a single figure: how much rice went in.

The floor the JAS standard sets

You cannot talk about rice vinegar quality without the JAS standard. It sets the rice needed to call something rice vinegar at "at least 40 g per liter."

The point worth noticing is that this is a floor and nothing more. A rice vinegar made with barely 40 g and a rice vinegar made with several times that differ in ingredient cost and in the savoriness of the finished vinegar. Plenty of inexpensive rice vinegars are brewed close to that minimum and finished quickly.

Which means a wide range of quality lives inside the single phrase "rice vinegar."

Starting from the rice paddy

At the other end of that range is Iio Jozo in Miyazu (宮津), Kyoto. In this town on the sea side of Kyoto, looking out toward Amanohashidate (天橋立), it has made nothing but vinegar since 1893.

What sets this maker apart above all is that its vinegar begins in the rice paddy. Since 1964 it has worked with local farmers to grow rice on terraced paddies without agrochemicals, and that rice is what goes into the vinegar. A vinegar maker raising its own rice is still an unusual idea.

And the rice goes in at about 200 g per liter - five times the minimum the JAS standard sets. That amount of rice is what the price difference, and the flavor difference, actually is.

Time rounds off the acidity

It is not only the rice. Time is poured into the brewing as well.

Junmai Fujisu (純米富士酢) is made by the older method of static surface fermentation. Unlike the rapid method, which agitates the tank and finishes quickly, it ferments slowly over about 80 to 120 days, driven by a film of acetic acid bacteria that forms across the surface. From there it is aged for roughly 300 more days.

Vinegar made without hurry has little of that stinging bite and turns out startlingly mellow. The savoriness of the rice wraps around the acidity, and a bottle like this is what turns a vinegared side dish into something you look forward to.

Choosing a good rice vinegar, and using it

When you pick a rice vinegar, check for these.

• The ingredient list: is rice the only thing named? Is there added alcohol or anything else in there?
• The amount of rice: when it is stated, more rice means more savoriness to expect
• The method: vinegar made slowly, by static surface fermentation and the like, comes out mellow
• How to use it: sunomono (酢の物) and sushi rice, of course, but also as a finishing note in cooked dishes such as sweet and sour pork. Cut with honey and water, it also makes a vinegar drink

That much difference hides behind two words on the front of the bottle. Next time you buy vinegar, turn it around and read the back label.

Frequently asked questions

Why do rice vinegars vary so much in price?

The biggest reason is the amount of rice used. The JAS standard requires at least 40 g of rice per liter of rice vinegar, but a vinegar made right at that minimum and one made with several times as much differ completely in ingredient cost and in savoriness. Junmai Fujisu (純米富士酢), from Iio Jozo in Miyazu, Kyoto, uses about 200 g per liter, five times the standard.

What is the difference between "rice vinegar" and "junmai vinegar"?

Rice vinegar is the umbrella term for brewed vinegar made with rice, including products that also contain other grains or added alcohol. Junmai vinegar means vinegar made from rice alone, and generally with more rice in it. Check the ingredient list on the label to see whether rice is the only thing named.

How do I pick a good rice vinegar?

You will rarely go wrong if you choose one whose only ingredient is rice, and where the amount of rice is stated. Vinegar fermented slowly by the static surface method has its sharp edge worn off and comes out mellow. The less you like vinegared dishes, the more such a vinegar is worth trying.