How to Make the Best Wine Vinegar

Recently, I posted a comment on reddit about turning unused wine into vinegar which led one commenter to suggest I post a how-to on the site.  This is my how-to turn leftover wine into vinegar.

By now you know, this blog is all about enjoying the food and drink you like.  It's your mouth, your taste buds and your food and no one should tell you what you have to like, though suggestions can be made for health.  So, if you find yourself with a bottle of opened wine and you don't know if it is still palatable, try it.  If you like it, drink it.  If it is a little dull for your liking, dump it in a stew, or braise and enjoy.

Or, take the cork out and replace it with a piece of cheesecloth, keep it loose.  This will keep the bugs out while allowing the microbial bacteria which turns the wine into vinegar in.  Leaving the bottles near an open window will give you the best results, in my experience.  It will take about 8 weeks to get the results you want, or you can use a mother of vinegar available at self brew wine and beer locations and the final product can be ready in half the time.  I also, at least once a week, shake the contents of the bottle a little.

You know it is working if the wine starts to turn cloudy.  One note: I have found that dumping commercial vinegar into the wine does not give the same results and will not speed up the process, it just results in wine with vinegar.  This has something to do with deactivating the bacteria through pasteurizing at the time it is bottled at the plant; you must have active vinegar.

Some people use a large crock with a spigot at the bottom to make the vinegar and this is handy if you are making large quantities and is easier to pour leftover wines into the vessel.  I have a small kitchen and am pressed for space so I find the bottles are the best bet for me.  Once the wine has become vinegar you have a living entity.  You may continue to add leftover wine and it will transform those small amounts much quicker, the addition of fresh wine will simply reduce the intensity of the acid and heighten the wines flavours so your product is in a constant state of change.  I enjoy this as it means a different vinegar each time.

I pour the vinegar through a sieve lined with a double layer of paper towel, rinse the bottles and pour the product back into the bottle.  You can use the vinegar without filtering if you don't mind those little particles accumulating in the bottom.  Herbs can be added to the white wine versions to create herb vinegars.  Once the wine is fully converted you can replace the cheesecloth with corks for safe storage but that is only if you worry about knocking over the bottles.

The best part of making your own wine vinegar is the pride of making your own wine vinegar!  It can be used for salad dressings or to brighten soups and braises but be careful, it is not good for pickling unless the ph is at least 4, distilled vinegar is a better bet for preserving.

The white was made from a combination of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc and is bright and sweet.  The Cabernet is very acidic and sour while the Cabernet Franc has a deeper, less sour character.  I will use the white and cab/sav for vinaigrettes and the cab/franc for stews.