Red Wine Vinegar From 'Bar Tartine'

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Photograph: Chad Robertson

This red wine vinegar from Cortney Burns and Nicolaus Balla's new cookbook, Bar Tartine: Techniques and Recipes, could also be made with white or fortified wine.

The vinegar is used in their Pickled Mushrooms.

Notes: As to the optional vinegar starter, they say: "There are several options for starting a fresh batch of vinegar. You can purchase a vinegar starter or culture, known as a 'mother,' from a home brew shop; you can use raw (unpasteurized, unfiltered) vinegar; or you can use vinegar saved from a previous batch. Sometimes we forgo the starter all together and let nature take its course. This usually works just as well."

Recipe Details

Red Wine Vinegar From 'Bar Tartine'

Active 10 mins
Total 0 mins
Serves 32 servings
Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

  • 4 cups (960ml) red, white, or fortified wine

  • 2 tablespoons vinegar starter (optional)

Directions

  1. Vinegar always begins with a base of alcohol. There is the option to start with a pre-fermented base of wine, beer, spirits, or sake. Alternatively, the alcoholic base can be made instead of purchased by using juice, sugar, fruit scraps, beer mash, or sake mash and then allowing it to ferment.

  2. To turn an alcoholic base into vinegar, pour the mixture into a wide-mouthed container, filling it three-fourths full. If using a vinegar starter, add it at this stage. Cover the open rim with cheesecloth; oxygen is vital for this part of the fermentation. Leave the top uncapped, as it needs oxygen to sour. Let stand in a dark spot at room temperature, between 68° and 72°F/20° and 22°C, tasting every week or so, until the vinegar is acidified to your liking, 2 to 4 months. When the acidity is where you like it, cap the bottle and continue to age at room temperature to mellow the acidity, about 6 months or so, before using. The vinegar will keep at room temperature indefinitely. If a mass forms, discard it; it is a harmless by-product of the fermentation process. Always start with good-quality ingredients. Bad wine and bland fruit do not make delicious vinegar. The same is true with beer; we avoid hoppy beers as hops can inhibit the fermentation process.

Special equipment

Cheesecloth; non-reactive, wide-mouthed bottle with airtight lid

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
25 Calories
0g Fat
1g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 32
Amount per serving
Calories 25
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 38mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)