Mother Vinegar Culture Pinot Noir Red Wine

This Pinot Noir mother of vinegar is a thin film of slimy, gelatinous bacteria that encourages fermentation.

If you’ve bought a bottle of raw apple cider vinegar, you’ve probably seen a leftover mother floating in the bottom of the jar. This bacteria has the more scientific name of mycoderma aceti but calling it a mother is so much more poetic.

The magical thing about mothers is that during the fermentation process they give “birth” to other mothers that can be used in future batches of vinegar. People who regularly make their own vinegar can use new generations of one mother to make vinegar for decades.