How to Make Homemade Vinegar
This guide shows you how to make homemade vinegar, which is easy in any season and goes perfectly with healthy, tasty food.
You can find the equipment and ingredients throughout this blog. Click on the underlined words and another page will open in your browser, where you can see the details and place your order.
Here are all the simple steps
STEP 1 - Gather your vessel
Acetobacter bacteria need oxygen to work, so choose a wide, open vessel. Good options include:
- an Artisan's glass demijohn
- a wide-mouth crock
- a glass jar
- a food-grade plastic bucket
- a bowl
- a wooden cask
Any non-metal container is the best option, because vinegar corrodes metal.
Do not fill the container more than about half-full, to maximise the surface area ratio.
STEP 2 - Gather your starter
Use your jar from The Artisan’s Bottega: either Merlot Red Wine Vinegar Mother or Pinot Noir Red Wine Vinegar Mother. See our full vinegar mother range.
Optional tip: place an oak stave in the container, to taste.
STEP 3 - Gather your ingredients
- To make wine vinegar, you want 1 part starter (or mother), 1 part unchlorinated water and 2 parts alcoholic beverage.
- Use unsulphited organic alcohols if possible, because sulphites kill acetobacter bacteria.
- If your wine contains sulphites, let the mixture sit for half an hour. (If your water is chlorinated, boil it first and let it cool down, or let the water sit out on the counter overnight.)
- For cider and beer vinegars, omit the water.
- Add the alcohol and water, if using any, to your vessel. Stir. Pour in the starter (or gently add the mother).
STEP 4 - Cover the top
Place a cloth or a few layers of cheesecloth over the container and secure it with a rubber band.
STEP 5 - Store the vessel
Set the vinegar pot where the temperature stays between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius. Keep the container out of sunlight and draughts.
STEP 6 - Monitor the vinegar
Over time, the mother on top of the vinegar will become thicker. It may develop a brownish cast, which is fine. If you see mould or smell a paint-thinner aroma, toss the batch. (This is rare.)
STEP 7 - Taste the vinegar
After a couple of weeks, sample a spoonful of the vinegar, simply removing or lifting the mother out of the way. It’s OK if the mother sinks. If the liquid tastes like vinegar, it’s ready. You may want to leave it to ferment longer for a stronger flavour. In warm temperatures, vinegar may be finished in two weeks. In cold temperatures, it may take a month or more, and it’s OK to let it go longer. Vinegar is stable for a long time, though it will begin to lose its potency over time.
STEP 8 - Draw off your finished vinegar
Pour the liquid through a strainer. Decant almost all of it into a clean glass jar with a narrow neck and a tight-fitting lid or new cork to reduce further oxidation. The vinegar will continue to age and mellow in the bottle.
STEP 9 - Save the mother
Put the mother back into the fermenting vessel and pour the remaining vinegar over it. This is the mother of vinegar for your next batch. You can either start a new batch now or let your mother sit at room temperature for up to a month until you’re ready to use it again. If you plan to share the mother, now is the time to split it (avoid metal knives and scissors).
STEP 10 - Age the vinegar
Store the vinegar at 10 to 16 degrees for six months to mellow and let the particles settle. The vinegar will improve for up to two years, then slowly decline. Use the vinegar as is, dilute it to your taste, or infuse it with herbs or other flavours. Now that it's all done, enjoy a great vinegar to dress your meals!
