Vinegars

I have been asked several times lately for recommendations on vinegars I have a few favorites to share with you. Round Pond in Napa Valley makes a couple of nice vinegars – a sangiovese-nebbiolo blend and a cabernet-merlot blend. The grapes are grown specifically for making vinegar, not for making wine. The vinegar is aged for 10 months in oak barrels before being bottled. These vinegars run about $18 per bottle. Check out Round Pond at www.roundpond.com.

Another favorite vinegar of mine is Le Vinaigre de Banyuls from a small town in the southwest of France called Banyuls-sur-Mer. The grape composition of this wonderfully balanced vinegar is 50% Grenache noir, 40% Grenache gris, and 10% Carignan. It takes 5 ½ years to go from wine to the finished vinegar product. It is aged outdoors in large French barrels for four of those years. It has a lovely sherry-like taste with distinct nut-like qualities. You can find Le Vinaigre de Banyuls for $25/bottle at www.zingermans.com .

I also really like Minus 8 vinegar. Minus 8 is made by one winemaker only from Canadian grapes that have been frozen on the vines. Juice from 8 different grape varieties are blended to make this vinegar. The vinegar is aged for years, partially in French oak barrels, then blended with vinegars dating back to 1997. It is very limited in production but is available in small quantities for $29/bottle at: www.minus8vinegar.com.