question - what is live vinegar

[CeeCee]

When watching the "Great Kitchens" show on HGTV the other day, they featured a chef from Napa Valley who saves left over wines to make flavored vinegars (one white and one red) and the instructions stated to start with some live vinegar as a base before pouring in your left over wines. It sounded like a cool idea and one I'd like to do. They suggested using a magnum-sized bottle for each and keep in sitting on the counter (corked, I think).
Any ideas?

[Beth]

You need a vinegar that has a "mother" in it. Really. :D The mother is the cloudy, mucky mass you sometimes get in the bottom of the bottle. It contains the organisms that facilitate the vinager making process. I have only had this in vinegar once that I remember. I don't know how you get it if you want it. Would a natural food source have it?

Someone help here, won't the wine turn to vinegar on it's own?

[Beth]

I pulled out a book to look for mustards, and I found some instructions on making wine vinegars (and others). This is a summary from Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty.

RED WINE VINEGAR

She starts by saying you must use a wine that has not been pasteurized, and not to use wine that has soured or gone stale. You also need a good quality starter vinegar (white, cider, white wine or rice), she prefers French. The mother, if you have it, is apparently an option to the starter vinegar. She suggests getting it from someone who make vinegar or by checking the bottom of open bottles of vinegar and strain out any that you find. Other wise, use the starter vinegar.

Combine the wine with the mother or about one fourth its volume of starter vinegar in a half gallon or gallon jug. Don't fill beyond the widest point on the jug since you want maximum air exposure on the surface. Tie a double layer of cheesecloth over the top of the jug and set the jug in a moderaelty warm place where you will remember to check it once in a while. Leave the jug for several weeks, until a sniff and taste test indicate your have made vinegar.

Strain the vinegar into a clean, dry bottle and cap or cork with a clean cork . Return the mother that has developed to the jug. If you don't want to make more vinegar yet, add just enough wine or some of the vinegar just made to keep the mother well covered. Cap the jug until ready to make another batch.

You may pasteurize the vinegar or not (to cut down on the continued production fo mother). To pasteurize, heat the strained vinegar to simmering in a stainless pan and simmer (do not let boil) for 5 minutes. Cool then bottle and cap as above.

WHITE WINE VINEGAR

Apparently a little trickier due to higher acidity of the wine. Suggests cutting the wine half and half with water, then add the mother or starter vinegar as above. White may take months to develop.

SHERRY VINEGAR

Use a medium dry sherry and cut 50/50 with water as for the white wine. Produces very slowly. Best to pasteurize since it is the most prolific producer of mother.

[Beth]

It's not clear in those instructions if the French vinegar is preferred for flavor, style or if it is not pasteurized and will produce vinegar more easily. I would avoid as a starter any vinegar that indicates it has been pasteurized (and presumably "not live"). Hope that helps.