Homemade Wine Vinegar

A young vinegar mother tries to escape and leaves the old mothers behind

Bathing in its new home in luxury surroundings

So I have had this bottle of rice wine in the cupboard for ages and inside it has been growing this cloudy ghost of a jellyfish.  The first time I spotted it I was a little bit disgusted at first but then I realised what I was holding.  A real life Mother - Vinegar Mother, that is.

I am sure that at one time or another, foodies or winies (winies or winos?) have thought about vinegar.  After all, it is a useful item to have around and the name gives its origins away: Cider Vinegar, White Wine Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar and so on

So surely it cant be that hard to make.  I have seen plenty of articles about exposing some sort of sugar-laden alcohol to air, letting some random bacteria land and start the process of turning a perfectly drinkable product into vinegar.  I have even had home brew wine that has turned to vinegar and I was not even trying to do so.

So, here is the plan.  Firstly I need to extract this gelatinous substance from the rice wine and transfer it to a large wide-mouthed jar.  Next, I need to keep it somewhere dark and warm but still exposed to the air, since the bacteria is aerobic.  This I will achieve with the help of some muslin cloth and a preserving jar and lid.  Next is the food that the bacteria will need to feed from.  This will take the shape of a bottle of Chardonnay  from Wither Hills.  Something fruity I think to help add a little flavour. 

As time goes on I will eventually get a bigger jar and plan to top the amount of liquid and therefore keep the acidity high.  The good lady of the house will be helping this with regular contributions from partly consumed bottles of Chardonnay and Savvy, added in every now and then.

The idea is to culture the mother up and get it to a point where if you are wanting to have a crack at making your own you can let me know and I can send you some of the mother.

This batch will be made with the idea of hopefully turning it into to something that can be used as a dressing for the up-coming salad season.  Something a little bit different that just needs the addition of a decent oil.

Will keep you posted on how this pans out.