Artisanal Nigori & Red Vinegar
Fermented Vinegars from a Sake Brewery — Born of Time, Not Waste
A New Landscape for the Modern Table
NIGORI VINEGAR & RED VINEGAR
A drop of umami, a ripple of fermentation.
🍶 Let your day begin with a single pour.
- A morning spritz to awaken gently
- A cooling accent for summer dishes like chilled tofu or shabu-shabu
- A simple yet elegant dressing: just salt and oil
- A secret umami booster for fish, pickles, and marinades
These vinegars are not just condiments.
They are fermented culinary expressions, crafted with time, balance, and depth.
🫧 NIGORI VINEGAR — Cloudy, Bold, Alive
An unfiltered vinegar born from AWASAKE’s sake lees and our luxurious Relaxation series sake kasu.
Rich in lactic acid and natural umami,
this cloudy layer is packed with fermentation power.
- Naturally fermented, no added alcohol
- No dilution — bottled as undiluted “gensu” vinegar
- Acid level reaches 6.5% through fermentation alone
- A multi-use vinegar: drinkable, pourable, unforgettable
Nigori Vinegar is a testament to what fermentation can become—
not a leftover, but a living ingredient.
🔴 RED VINEGAR — Aged Elegance from Deep Sake Lees
Red Vinegar is crafted from aged sake kasu—
the same kind used for traditional pickles.
After years of fermentation, it takes on a mellow brown hue,
infused with mellow umami and layered aroma.
Perfect for:
- Sushi rice
- Nimono (simmered dishes)
- Sunomono (vinegared sides)
- Miso vinegar sauces and marinades
Its acidity is gentle (~4.5%), with an embracing richness.
This is a professional-grade vinegar rooted in the legacy of washoku.
🍶 Vinegar Profile
| Nigori Vinegar | Red Vinegar | |
|---|---|---|
| Main Ingredients | AWASAKE lees, Luxury sake kasu | Aged sake kasu (3+ yrs), brewing alcohol |
| Method | Undiluted, no additives, naturally fermented, unfiltered | Undiluted, naturally fermented |
| Acidity | ~6.5% | ~4.5% |
| Flavor | Deep, lactic, umami-rich | Mild, mellow, soft acidity |
| Best Use | Dressings, marinades, vinegared rice | Pickles, simmered dishes, vinegar sauces |
🧪 The Origins of Umami — Behind Every Drop
This is not vinegar as you know it.
It’s the result of a fermentation philosophy inherited from sake making.
Each ingredient carries a story:
✨ AWASAKE
A celebratory sparkling sake served at G7.
Its lees form the umami-rich foundation of Nigori Vinegar.
✨ LUXURY Sake Kasu (Relaxation Series)
Exquisite sweetness and depth.
This sake kasu enriches the cloudy layer of Nigori Vinegar.
✨ Amber Aged Sake Kasu
The base of Red Vinegar:
Transformed through years of slow aging into a deeply savory, caramel-hued ferment.
▶ Explore Aged Kasu for Narezuke
🌿 From Fermentation, A Future
This vinegar is not a byproduct.
It is a deliberate act of culinary reimagination.
At ITO SHUZO, we ferment with conviction.
We see possibility where others see waste.
❝ Not discarded. But reborn. ❞
This is what it means to love fermentation.
Let this be your companion for intuitive cooking—
and a new conversation with taste.
