Vinegar Making

[Rocky]

Do any of the members have experience in making vinegar (intentionally!) from wine? My father-in-law used to make a crock of it periodically but I don't know the recipe. I know some of the basics of vinegar making e.g. the use of the "mother," reducing ABV, neutralizing sulfites or other preservatives, etc. but I would like to hear from people who have made wine vinegar. Some questions I would have are:

1. What do you use to neutralize the preservatives? H2O2?
2. To what ABV do you adjust the wine?
3. Is there a danger in making vinegar in the same cellar as wine is made and stored? My father-in-law used to make it in the same 6' x 10' room with no ill effects, but I have seen where others have said this is dangerous.
4. What vinegars have you made?

Thank you.

 

[salcoco]

1. use hydrogen peroxide at about 1/2 tap per 32 oz of wine , water and mother of vinegar
2. mix wine 2:1 with water
3. although actobacter bacteria , which makes the vinegar, is present everywhere I keep mine vinegar area separate from wine area
4 made both red and white vinegar. started with a mother of vinegar from Label peelers. ponce you have vinegar it creates a new mother which I reuse for each new batch.
I use wine that doesn't meet standards or leftover from a wine tasting session that host.

a slower process without the mother is put wine in a soap bowl, cover and leave in open for about a month it will turn to vinegar

Good Luck

 

[Rocky]

1. use hydrogen peroxide at about 1/2 tap per 32 oz of wine , water and mother of vinegar
2. mix wine 2:1 with water
3. although actobacter bacteria , which makes the vinegar, is present everywhere I keep mine vinegar area separate from wine area
4 made both red and white vinegar. started with a mother of vinegar from Label peelers. ponce you have vinegar it creates a new mother which I reuse for each new batch.
I use wine that doesn't meet standards or leftover from a wine tasting session that host.

a slower process without the mother is put wine in a soap bowl, cover and leave in open for about a month it will turn to vinegar

Good Luck

Thanks, Sal. That is exactly how I was going to proceed, including buying the mother from Label Peelers. I have some white wine which is sub par so I am going to start with white wine vinegar. I have a red which was an attempt to salvage some old Malbec concentrate that I am about to give up.

In looking at your reply, you wrote "1/2 tap" of H2O2. Did you mean "1/2 cap"? When you say that you would keep the vinegar separate from your wine making area, would the opposite side of a large cellar be okay or do you mean a separate floor of the house? I was planning to make it in the kitchen but if I can make it in the cellar, all the better.

Lastly, how does your vinegar turn out? Would you say same, better or not as good as store bought?

Thanks.

 

[salcoco]

the dosage for peroxide is 1/2 a teaspoon sorry about that. I live in a apartment the vinegar is in kitchen the wine in a spare bedroom. I believe opposite sides of a basement would work. just don't mix the tools. I believe it is considerable better than store bought. of course I was raised on homemade red wine vinegar so the stronger the better. I started this because store bought salad dressings are sugar intense. you will note the difference when using different red wines.

 

[Rocky]

Thanks for your help. It will be a few months but I will post how it turns out.