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Old wine turned to vinegar
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Posted by johnnieb (My Page) on Thu, May 22, 08 at 20:04
| Not sure where to ask this question, but I was visiting my aunt in Syracuse, NY last weekend and discovered that she still had 2 jugs of my grandfather's homemade wine in her basement, the house where he died. My grandfather was old-country Italian and made pretty good wine--but bear in mind that he died in 1976! These were narrow-necked glass jugs, about 5 gallons each, that had never been decanted into bottles or otherwise disturbed. They were upright in wooden crates and all that sealed them was a cork pushed into some kind of paper. Instead of just dumping it, we decided to open them, pour off a little and taste it. I fully expected it to be vinegar, and I was correct. I have no idea if it was originally red or white wine--I suspect red--but the vinegar is a beautiful amber color. It packs quite a punch but it also has a strong, fruity, grapey fragrance and taste.
So my question: is this vinegar any good? We saved quite a bit of it in plastic containers (she had promised the old jugs to a friend) just in case it's actually usable. Is it likely to harbor any dangerous bacteria? Are we likely to get sick from using 32 year old, homemade vinegar? Or is this something I should bottle up and share with everybody in the family? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Old wine turned to vinegar
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| Why would it not be good? The balsamic vinegar that they make in Italy is sometimes much much older. I know someone who bought a barrel for his grandchildren who are not even born yet. The only thing about that vinegar will be that it's likely to be fairly strong i.e. acidic. The acid is probably higher than that of store-bought. Doesn't harm it though. And since it hasn't been aged in barrels, it's not going to have that complex balsamic quality, but I've had plenty of 32 year old wine and I'm none the worse for wear. PS - you can probably microwave it or heat it to pasturize if you're worried, but I bet it's too acidic for any robust life forms. |
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