How To Transform Leftover Wine Into Red Wine Vinegar

There's nothing like a tall glass of deep red wine to round out a meal with friends and family. But red wine isn't just for sipping, and next time you have a couple of glasses remaining in that shareable bottle of grape and plum-tinted goodness, don't just mindlessly polish it off. Instead, think resourcefully and transform those leftovers into red wine vinegar — it's easier than that first sip of Cabernet on a Friday evening.

Red wine vinegar is as simple as its name suggests. At its most basic, the must-have kitchen staple is made of, you guessed it, red wine and vinegar. All you need to do to make your own is combine leftover red wine with water and raw, living vinegar in a wide-lipped glass jar, cover the mixture with a cheesecloth fastened by a rubber band, and let it ferment in a dark place for up to four weeks. Optionally, if your wine contains high levels of sulfites, consider adding a dash of 3% hydrogen peroxide to oxidize and eliminate them. To achieve the right balance of flavor, ratios are key. For every tablespoon of red wine, use three tablespoons of vinegar. Similarly, use half as much water as you did wine.

It is perfectly safe to perform a taste test to determine if your fermented goods are ready for action. Once it satisfies your tastebuds, strain, bottle, and enjoy. Red wine vinegar is great in marinades, salad dressings, and cocktail shrubs.

Apple cider vinegar or mother of vinegar are essential for making red wine vinegar, as it transforms alcohol into acetic acid, which gives red wine vinegar its tart flavor. Mother of vinegar is a rubbery, gelatinous disc that can be added to the wine to convert the alcohol into acetic acid during fermentation. ACV, on the other hand, will develop a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), which essentially becomes a mother of its own. You will see it form at the end of the fermentation process, and you can reuse it to start another batch of red wine vinegar.

Making homemade red wine vinegar is a great way to put cheap wine to use. However, you should only red wine vinegar with wine that you'd be comfortable drinking. If you use poor-tasting, low-quality wine, your vinegar will reflect those characteristics. Bear in mind that the sugar and alcohol content in your wine will determine the tartness of your vinegar. Higher levels give you a sharper taste, while lower levels produce a milder bite.

Although its potency may diminish over time, red wine vinegar doesn't spoil to the point of danger, so you don't need to rush to use it. Next time you have a reserve of leftover red wine, try your hand at DIY red wine vinegar.