Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and Northeast India. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the source of the enzymes that convert the starches to sugar. Rice wine typically has an alcohol content of 18–25% ABV. Rice wines are used in East Asian, Southeast Asian and Northeast Indian gastronomy at formal dinners and banquets and in cooking. Unlike most varieties of wine, which are made from fermented fruit, rice wine is made from fermented glutinous rice with a process in which yeast transforms the sugars into alcohol. It’s used in a variety of Asian cuisines, particularly Chinese cooking, and often incorporated into marinades and sauces to add sweetness and depth of flavour. Some varieties are also consumed as a beverage. While the distinct flavour of rice wine varies from one to another, they are all generally sweet. Common varieties of rice wine include Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine), mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine), and sake (dry Japanese rice wine), and most have a relatively low alcohol content compared to Western wines and beers.