🥃 Wine vinegar

Wine vinegar is vinegar made from wine that has soured through the action of special bacteria, called acetic acid bacteria. They turn alcohol into acetic acid when the wine stands in contact with air.

The French word for vinegar, vinaigre, literally means "sour wine". For real vinegar the wine does not have to be great, but its quality affects the taste. Under EU rules vinegar must contain at least 60 grams of acetic acid per litre.

There are red, white and sherry vinegars. Sherry vinegar is aged by the solera system and is mellow and nutty. Balsamic vinegar from Modena is made from grape must, not from wine, often from the Trebbiano di Modena grape.

Wine vinegar is one of the grape products, like verjuice, the sour juice of unripe berries. It is used in salads, sauces and marinades.