Seafood & Gourmet Products

Japan

Located along  the  stunning  rocky  bluffs  of  the  East  China  Sea  in  the  Kagoshima  Prefecture, Togo-Su is a 5th generation producer using time tested, traditional methods to create exceptional  vinegars.  Their  vinegars  are  master  crafted  by  true  vinegar  artisans  following ancestral methods handed down through the generations. 

Created by natural fermentation, these craftsmen combine local brown rice, local ginger, spring water and brown rice koji in large stoneware pots which are then set in the sun for the duration of the natural fermentation process. The dedicated craftsmen work each day  to  stir  pots  or  allow  the  vinegar  to  develop,  creating  vinegars  that  will  lend  themselves  to  many culinary applications.​ The pots are stirred by hand every couple of days for the first few months, they are then left alone for six months to a year, depending on the weather, resulting in a one-dimentional clear vinegar.  Each pot is then topped off with spring water then left undisturbed to age, tyically 1-1 1/2 years.

Kurozu Vinegar An aged artisan amber rice vinegar that is brewed following a tradition dating 200 years back to the Edo period.  Recently brewers have experimented with aging this vinegar, traditionally aging has not been tried.  When aged, the vinegar darkens in color, softens and has a subtle cararmelization. This natural maturity is what differentiates it from traitional brown rice vinegars found throughout Japan.  Using only three ingredients, local organic brown rice, brown rice koji and mountain spring water, the brewer combines these carefully in century old stoneware pots and allows them to ferment naturally.  The natural cylce and ideal climate for the proper fermentation is what makes this vinegar so special.  The entire process takes 1-1.5 years, the vinegar is then aged anywhere from 3-5 years. 96602100 · UPC 730792982207 · 6/900 mL

Apple Kurozu Vinegar This vinegar is made using the same process as the Kurozu vinegar, with the addition of apples. The addition of apples to the Kurozu process mellows the bitterness and gives the vinegar much more depth of flavor. 96602110 · UPC 730792882221 · 6/900 mL

Kurozu Vinegar with Hijiki This vinegar is made using the same process as the Kurozu vinegar, with the addition of Hijiki Seaweed.  Hijiki Seaweed is a perfect marriage of earth and sea, creating a uniqueness that is special and rare.  Hijiki adds roundness, a balance of bitterness and sweetness as well as a depth to the vinegar. 96602120 · UPC 730792882214 · 6/900 mL

Ginger Vinegar Ginger Vinegar is the perfect combination of spice, acidity and the natural floral bouquet only ginger can provide.  The finished product is a perfect balance of spice, nice acidity and pleasant ginger bouquet. 96602140 · UPC 73092882184 · 6/1.8 L

Matcha Vinegar Master crafted by true vinegar artisans who combine local matcha leaves picked at the peak of ripeness to their brown rice vinegar. 96602130 · UPC 730792882177 · 6/1.8 L

Ume Shiso Vinegar A highlight of the Japanese fruit season is the Ume Plum harvest.  The Japanese plum is seen in many forms, from wine to pickled to vinegar. The harvest of these fruits, typically in June, requires precise timing. The plums go from not quite ripe to perfect in one day, to falling on the ground the next. When harvested, the plums are washed and soaked overnight.  They are then transferred to a wooden tank and salted evenly with sea salt, covered, and left to cure.  After a few weeks a brine forms, this brine is finished and strained and is umesu or plum vinegar.  96602150 · UPC 730792882191 · 6/1.8 L