Through the ages, vinegar has been a necessity to many people for its variety of uses such as food preservation and preparation and medicinal purposes. In early days, it is prepared by keeping wine in an open container and leaving it to sour. Typically wine vinegar comes in two variations – one is red and the other one is white. The same procedure is followed when making red or white wine vinegar. Red wine vinegar has and intense flavor due to its origination from red wine.
Vinegar making at home is not only a rewarding experience in terms of its outstanding value and excellent quality, but the process is very simple and fun. This article sheds light on some useful guidelines for making red wine vinegar.
Basic Principles
Vinegar is prepared simply by the oxidation of alcohol. In fact, vinegar can be produced from any alcohol-based substance. It is processed using a gradual technique from wine, beer, cider, and many other alcohol rich consumables. The process of making vinegar from red wine is very slow and it can be adapted to a small-scale size production. In fact the weaker the alcohol level, the better it is for fermentation. The higher the alcohol intensity of the wine the more it decelerates the speed of the fermentation process.
Prerequisites For Making Red Wine Vinegar
Typically, red wine contains nearly 14% alcohol. In general, wine vinegar consists of citric acid, tartaric acid and small amount acetic acid. While preparing the vinegar, the processing temperature should be maintained around 74 to 86°F, in fact, the lower the temperature the slower the fermentation process. The best choice is to put the solution into a black-painted cask. It can help absorb heat even when the outside temperature is low. After making the red wine vinegar, you need to freeze it and take out the floe, which is formed over the surface. This helps to make the vinegar stronger.
Discoloration Of Red Wine Vinegar
If you like to lighten the color of red wine vinegar, add forty-five grams of bone-charcoal to a liter of cold red wine and store in a glass vessel. Shake the solution frequently. You can see that the color disappears within two to three days. If the procedure is implemented for larger production, you will need to put the charcoal inside the cask of vinegar and stir it at regular interval.
