Iio Jozo Fujisu Rice Vinegar
Iio Jozo makes what is widely considered the finest rice vinegar in Japan. Their Fujisu vinegar starts with pesticide-free rice — some of it grown on the brewery's own terraced mountain fields above the fishing village of Ine on the Tango Peninsula — and fresh underground spring water from the mountains surrounding Miyazu. These are the only two ingredients.
The process begins with sake. Iio Jozo is one of the only vinegar makers in Japan that brews its own sake from scratch, using the same labour-intensive methods as the best sake breweries. Rice is mixed with kōji and fermented, then pressed. The finished sake is combined with spring water and vinegar mother and left to undergo static fermentation — a traditional method where acetic acid bacteria work slowly on the surface of the liquid, without the mechanical acetators used by industrial producers. This takes approximately 100 days. The vinegar is then aged for a further 8 months or more, during which it develops its characteristic roundness, amber colour, and gentle umami depth.
For every litre of this vinegar, 320 grams of rice is used — eight times the minimum 40g required by Japanese Agricultural Standards to qualify as rice vinegar. The result is a vinegar that barely tastes sour. Instead, it has a soft, lengthy acidity, gentle aromatics, subtle sweetness, and a rich umami depth that makes it unlike any supermarket rice vinegar.
Producer: Iio Jozo Co., Ltd., Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded 1893, now in their fifth generation under Akihiro Iio. The last artisanal rice vinegar brewery in Kyoto Prefecture. Their Fujisu Pure Rice Vinegar was selected for Japan's "Wonder 500" programme, recognising it as one of the country's finest local products.
Ingredients: Water, rice
Storage: Store at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. After opening, keep the cap tightly closed. Airborne acetic acid bacteria may cause floating objects to form — this is harmless but can affect flavour over time.
Net: 360ml
Iio Jozo makes what is widely considered the finest rice vinegar in Japan. Their Fujisu vinegar starts with pesticide-free rice — some of it grown on the brewery's own terraced mountain fields above the fishing village of Ine on the Tango Peninsula — and fresh underground spring water from the mountains surrounding Miyazu. These are the only two ingredients.
The process begins with sake. Iio Jozo is one of the only vinegar makers in Japan that brews its own sake from scratch, using the same labour-intensive methods as the best sake breweries. Rice is mixed with kōji and fermented, then pressed. The finished sake is combined with spring water and vinegar mother and left to undergo static fermentation — a traditional method where acetic acid bacteria work slowly on the surface of the liquid, without the mechanical acetators used by industrial producers. This takes approximately 100 days. The vinegar is then aged for a further 8 months or more, during which it develops its characteristic roundness, amber colour, and gentle umami depth.
For every litre of this vinegar, 320 grams of rice is used — eight times the minimum 40g required by Japanese Agricultural Standards to qualify as rice vinegar. The result is a vinegar that barely tastes sour. Instead, it has a soft, lengthy acidity, gentle aromatics, subtle sweetness, and a rich umami depth that makes it unlike any supermarket rice vinegar.
Producer: Iio Jozo Co., Ltd., Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded 1893, now in their fifth generation under Akihiro Iio. The last artisanal rice vinegar brewery in Kyoto Prefecture. Their Fujisu Pure Rice Vinegar was selected for Japan's "Wonder 500" programme, recognising it as one of the country's finest local products.
Ingredients: Water, rice
Storage: Store at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. After opening, keep the cap tightly closed. Airborne acetic acid bacteria may cause floating objects to form — this is harmless but can affect flavour over time.
Net: 360ml
Original: $33.16
-70%$33.16
$9.95Description
Iio Jozo makes what is widely considered the finest rice vinegar in Japan. Their Fujisu vinegar starts with pesticide-free rice — some of it grown on the brewery's own terraced mountain fields above the fishing village of Ine on the Tango Peninsula — and fresh underground spring water from the mountains surrounding Miyazu. These are the only two ingredients.
The process begins with sake. Iio Jozo is one of the only vinegar makers in Japan that brews its own sake from scratch, using the same labour-intensive methods as the best sake breweries. Rice is mixed with kōji and fermented, then pressed. The finished sake is combined with spring water and vinegar mother and left to undergo static fermentation — a traditional method where acetic acid bacteria work slowly on the surface of the liquid, without the mechanical acetators used by industrial producers. This takes approximately 100 days. The vinegar is then aged for a further 8 months or more, during which it develops its characteristic roundness, amber colour, and gentle umami depth.
For every litre of this vinegar, 320 grams of rice is used — eight times the minimum 40g required by Japanese Agricultural Standards to qualify as rice vinegar. The result is a vinegar that barely tastes sour. Instead, it has a soft, lengthy acidity, gentle aromatics, subtle sweetness, and a rich umami depth that makes it unlike any supermarket rice vinegar.
Producer: Iio Jozo Co., Ltd., Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded 1893, now in their fifth generation under Akihiro Iio. The last artisanal rice vinegar brewery in Kyoto Prefecture. Their Fujisu Pure Rice Vinegar was selected for Japan's "Wonder 500" programme, recognising it as one of the country's finest local products.
Ingredients: Water, rice
Storage: Store at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. After opening, keep the cap tightly closed. Airborne acetic acid bacteria may cause floating objects to form — this is harmless but can affect flavour over time.
Net: 360ml
