Rice Wine Vs Rice Vinegar: Are They The Same?

A stocked pantry requires a number of ingredients, and that includes sauces — especially if you make Asian dishes. Each one brings an intricate complexity, oftentimes through a fermented base, like soy sauce (made from soybeans) or a seafood-based fish sauce. Another essential class of fermented condiments are made from rice, with the two notable examples being rice wine and rice vinegar.

With such similar names, mistaking one for the other is easy — but the two foodstuffs share little culinary overlap. Rice wine is fermented to make a drinkable liquid that's typically sweet and found in many varieties across Asia. Meanwhile, rice vinegar goes through further fermentation, turning it into a tart, bright liquid. The two share a relationship akin to red wine and red wine vinegar — the transformation from alcohol to acid is so intense, you wouldn't want to mix up the two in your glass.

Nevertheless, both are regular cooking fixtures, and in some dishes, they may even be used in combination. So verse yourself in their nuances to make the most of your cooking.

As with other vinegars, rice wine types have a much more pronounced tartness. This flavor comes from acetic acid. After rice water is fermented into alcohol, it goes through an additional round that creates the organic compound. Meanwhile, rice wine is typically crafted from starchy glutinous grain varieties that go through a complex fermentation process, resulting in a delicately flavored beverage. Depending on the variety, the taste varies, with everything from fruit to floral, spice, and woodsy tones possible.

Looking past the general contrast of sour and sweet, both liquids come in many more nuanced forms. For instance, there's Chinese black rice vinegar, made from a dark grain variety. It tastes malted and less acidic, making it an aromatic sweet-sour condiment. Meanwhile, in Japan, akasu — the traditional vinegar used for sushis — is red in color and has a rich, savory, and complex flavor. And there's the classic white rice-based vinegar you likely already know, which comes with a balanced sweet-and-sour profile.

Rice wine is brewed in many regional styles, each with its own distinct attributes. In Japan, the alcohol is called sake, fermented with a special koji fungi. Its flavor ranges from dry to apple-like fruitiness, predominantly sweet but with savory notes. For something even more sugary, Koreans imbibe makgeolli, a milky-colored rice wine with berry flavors. And in China, rice wines also take on many forms, with the deeply-savory, slightly salty Shaoxing wine a famous example.

With such different flavor profiles, it's no surprise the two sauces are employed in distinct ways. For one, rice vinegar can be used for delicious quick pickling, its gentle sweet-sour flavor a wonderful enhancement to everything from cucumbers to onions. In a similar vein, it can be used in Asian-accented salad dressings. Think of its palate similarly to apple cider vinegar, which is one of the easiest ingredient swaps for the condiment. Rice vinegar is also fundamental part of many sauces, whether it's a tart dip or a convenient stir-fry dressing. You'll undoubtedly need a bottle for a variety of East Asian recipes.

Rice wine is a delicious beverage in its own right, so there's lots of intrigue in sampling the drink straight. And there are dedicated culinary varieties, like the popular mirin. This sweet and multifaceted rice wine frequently comes up in marinades, glazes, and sauces — most famously teriyaki. You can also use it to make your fried rice unforgettable or even add a touch of sweetness to your scrambled eggs. Another you'll likely encounter in cooking is Shaoxing wine, which is frequently used in Chinese cooking. From blanching to deglazing and marinating, you'll want a bottle on hand for countless applications. Just remember that even though the two sauces overlap in dishes, they're not interchangeable — so note your recipes carefully to create the desired result.