Japan is best known for producing sake rice wine which it has produced for centuries. However, recently Japan has received recognition for it's contribution in the areas of beer and whisky as well. But Sake remains the best known of Japanese wines. Although it is commonly called rice wine, its production process is more similar to beer than wine, as starch (not fructose) feeds the fermentation process. Undiluted sake reaches alcohol levels higher than beer or wine, as high as 20% alcohol by volume.