Ian,
I have my two mags of active vinegar production, stoppered w/ a wad of cheesecloth, sitting on my kitchen counter.
I will often times leave old/leftover wine in the btl, unstoppered, sitting on the counter within a foot of my active vinegar.
I’ve yet to see any cross-contamination. So I think your worry is somewhat alarmist.
Tom
Don’t need to, so it depends what you’re aiming for and how many batches you want to have going. I’ve only completed batches of red so far, using my best judgment which wines have the right character to add. Right now I have a batch that is mixed fruit wines and white wines that fit the right profile. I’m thinking of doing a light red and a dark red next go around.
I know someone who takes the complete passive route with leftover high end Burgundy. He just leaves the opened bottles (presumably with cheese cloth) in his attic. Some turn out, some don’t. The one I tried was impressive.
I’ve heard advice that white wine is too acidic or something - maybe too much sulfite. Obviously not an entirely accurate rule for all white wines, but being careful about sulfite-y wines and Al’s technique of diluting the introduces wines by 30% should cover that.
At good grocery stores you can get a small bottle of organic red wine vinegar with active culture. I used that to start my vinegar. I have a two gallon dark green bottle that I keep the vinegar. Cheesecloth on top. After the bottle has made vinegar (about 2-3 months), I then move the vinegar to a 5 gallon oak barrel, from which I use the vinegar. Then I start up another batch in the bottle.
Warning, do not mix red and white wine. White wine has a tougher time turning to vinegar and could mess up your red wine vinegar.
As for acidity, if ya can’t handle it, be a wimp and dilute. We just use a little less vinegar. The taste makes all the difference.
On the choice of wines, I avoid high ABV red wines (say 14.5% and higher) because I find the vinegar is too acidic and often out of balance in some way. On the other hand, I would also a avoid, say, a light Bourgogne that had little fruit and was already high in acidity. I’ve had the best luck with wines that had depth of flavor and extract, such as cabernet, syrah, and the like.
As I said above, I found some California whites wouldn’t turn at all, but I had good luck with a batch from leftover Alsatian wines at the same time. I would guess the Californians had more sulfur. This was 20+ years ago, though, so that could have changed.
Does anyone making vinegar at home use hydrogen peroxide to remove some or all SO2, prior to adding wine to the barrel?
Tom,
Acetobacter can pull the corks out of the bottles and invade your wine. Be warned.
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I just found this thread helpful. Thank you to all who posted directions and tips! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}