Rice wine vinegar is a cooking staple in Asian cuisine, especially Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese food.
Rice wine is also a staple in Asian dishes. Many other Asian countries also have their own versions of rice wine that are commonly used in various recipes.
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What is the difference between rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar?
Rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar are the same thing.
Rice wine vinegar is simply another name that references the fermentation process that converts the rice into alcohol and then into vinegar.
Rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar can be used interchangeably in cooking as they are the same product despite being labelled differently.

What is rice wine vinegar?
Rice wine vinegar, or rice vinegar, is a type of vinegar made from fermented rice.
It is made by fermenting the starches and sugars in rice until they convert into alcohol and then eventually into acetic acid. The acetic acid is what gives the vinegar its acidic taste.
Rice wine vinegar can be made with white, brown or black rice.
Rice wine vinegar is commonly used to add acidity to many Asian dishes, such as sushi or Chinese stir-fry. It’s also used to make salad dressings, dipping sauces, marinades and it is used in pickling.
What is the difference between rice wine and rice vinegar?
Rice wine is a sweet wine that can be consumed as an alcoholic beverage.
Common rice wines include Japanese sake, Chinese Shaoxing wine, and Japanese mirin.
It is used in Asian cooking in the same way that Western cooking uses regular wine – the alcohol is evaporated through heating it.
Rice wine is therefore not a good substitute for rice wine vinegar, as one is a wine and one is a vinegar.

What is seasoned rice vinegar?
Seasoned rice vinegar is rice vinegar that has added sugars and salts.
It is typically used to flavor sushi rice or as part of a vinaigrette in salads. It should not be used as a substitute for rice vinegar, which is much milder.
You can, however, make your own seasoned rice vinegar by adding salt and sugar to regular rice wine vinegar.
How do I substitute rice wine vinegar/rice vinegar?
You can substitute rice vinegar with white wine vinegar or cider vinegar.
How do I substitute rice wine?
You can substitute rice wine with mirin (but use slightly less as it has a stronger flavor), sake, dry sherry or a dry white wine.