Skip to main content

Universal Wine Vinegar

A mason jar of homemade wine vinegar covered by cheesecloth surrounded by a bottle of finished vinegar and three bottles...
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Kim

This homemade vinegar recipe works with any type of wine—red, white, rosé, or a mix if you find yourself with many open bottles after a party. It’s also a great way to use wines you don’t like or ones that are corked. (This is a fault detected in bottled wine tainted by TCA, a compound that makes it taste more like wet dog than wine. The good news is these wines still make good vinegar.) Use this to make one batch, or keep the vinegar going by using some and adding more wine to the jar.

Ingredients

Makes about 1 quart

1 bottle (750 mL) wine
½ tsp. (2.5 mL)3% hydrogen peroxide(if the wine contains sulfites)
1 cup (237 mL) unchlorinated water
½ cup (118 mL) raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized vinegar, or a vinegar mother
  1. Step 1

    Pour the wine into a sanitized widemouthed jar. If the wine contains sulfites, stir in the hydrogen peroxide to neutralize them. Let sit for a minute. Stir in the water with a wooden spoon.

    Step 2

    倒入生醋。炒匀;一个小oxygen is good for getting the process going.

    Step 3

    Cover the jar with a piece of unbleached cotton (butter muslin or tightly woven cheesecloth), or a basket-style paper coffee filter. Secure with a string, a rubber band, or a threaded metal canning band. This is to keep out fruit flies.

    Step 4

    Place on your counter or in another spot that is 75° to 86°F.

    Step 5

    Check the vinegar in a month, when you should have nice acidity. However, it may take another month or two for the acidity to fully develop. Test the pH: It should be 4.0 or below.

    Step 6

    Bottle half the vinegar and replace with the same amount of wine for another batch. Or bottle it all and store the mother for another batch or to share with a friend. Use immediately, or age to allow it to mellow and flavors to develop.

Image may contain: Glass, Drink, Beverage, and Alcohol
Excerpted fromHomebrewed Vinegar© 2021 by Kirsten K. Shockey. Used with permission from Storey Publishing. Buy the full book fromStorey PublishingorAmazon.
Sign InorSubscribe
to leave a Rating or Review

How would you rate Universal Wine Vinegar?

Leave a Review

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Lilac Vinegar
The lilac essence comes through this homemade lilac vinegar with a sweet floral scent that lingers just above the acidity.
Succotash
This succotash recipe has some bacon for heft and jalapeños for kick, plus fresh summer corn, lima beans, and okra.
Crunchy and Bright Greek Salad
A classic that’s happy alongside a hearty, meaty main or alone as a vegetarian lunch.
Dry-Brined Turkey With Tangy Honey Glaze
Our never-fail turkey is excellent in every way that other turkeys often fall short. Period.
Maduros (Sweet Plantains)
Depending on their level of ripeness, plantains can be savory or sweet—for this sweet plantains recipe, look for mostly black ones.
Dill-Pickled Vegetables
These dill seed–scented pickles would be a great snack at any point in the year, but the recipe stands the test of time as a Thanksgiving appetizer.
Pork Vindaloo
In this fiery Indian classic, chunks of pork shoulder and succulent pork belly are cooked until tender in a tangy, spicy chile-vinegar sauce.
Smoked Duck
This smoked duck is a beauty, with a burnished finish from the molasses.