Red Wine Vinegar
By: Sarah Chappell
Published: Friday, June 17, 2011 - 5:52am

Ingredients




2 cups red wine to begin, plus 7 1/2 cups more over the next few weeks
1 cup filtered water
8 ounce jar of purchased vinegar mother
2 gallons earthenware crock or glass jar (ideally with a spigot)
A small square of cheesecloth

Preparation

1 Add 2 cups of good red wine and 1 cup of filtered water to the crock, then add the mother. 2 Cover the crock with a double layer of cheesecloth and fasten with a rubber band. 3 Set the crock in a warm (70° to 90°), dark spot and let stand for 1 1/2 weeks. 4 Add red wine to the crock in three 2 1/2-cup batches over the next 1 1/2 weeks; the crock should then be two-thirds full. 5 Once a thin veil has formed on the surface, add the wine through the tube of the bulb baster tucked under the edge of the veil. 6 Let the crock stand for a total of 10 weeks. Check periodically: If your vinegar ever begins to smell like furniture polish, discard it, wash the crock and start over. 7 Bottle the vinegar when it smells sharp and crisp: Strain it into sterile bottles through a plastic funnel lines with a paper coffee filter. (If you plan to start the process over, leave 2 cups vinegar in the crock and just add wine and water.) 8 The vinegar will mellow in the bottle and improve with age, but if you plan to keep it more than 4 months, pasteurize it: Heat the vinegar to 155° in a stainless steel saucepan and hold it there for 30 minutes. Store the vinegar in sterilized, well-sealed bottles in a cool, dry place. Use homemade vingear for dressings and sauces and as a seasoning; never use it for pickling.

About


Adapted from a recipe by Paula Wolfert.