You feel like preparing a nice meal, but you need red wine for the sauce. Unfortunately, you only have red wine vinegar in your cupboard. Can we swap the two?
When you look at red wine vinegar vs. red wine, what’s the difference?
Read on to learn more about both products and which might be better for your kitchen.
Red Wine Vinegar
Ingredients
A good red wine vinegar has only one ingredient: red wine vinegar / fermented red wine. Anything additional (apart from sulfites, which may or may not be mentioned in the ingredient list) is unnecessary.
Of course, there is Red Wine Vinegar with more ingredients, but whether you want to buy it is another question.
The problematic part is that red wine is the base for this vinegar – see below for the potential issues with red wine ingredients.
How Is Red Wine Vinegar Made?
Both red wine and red wine vinegar are made through the fermentation of red grapes. However, red wine vinegar is fermented twice.
Fermented red grapes produce red wine, which can be further fermented to produce red wine vinegar. During this second fermentation, the sugar in the wine is converted into acetic acid, which gives the vinegar its signature tart flavor. This second fermentation process takes approximately 100 hours and occurs naturally.
The word vinegar comes from the French word “Vinaigre,” which means sour wine. Vinegar was discovered over 7,000 years ago when people noticed that a soured cask of wine produced an entirely new product. This led to the creation of not only red wine vinegar but also white wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar.
What Kinds Of Red Wine Vinegar Are Available? Where Can I Buy It?
Red Wine Vinegar is pretty straightforward, unlike other types of vinegar (check out Sherry vinegar and Balsamic to see how they are separated into various categories).
As it is a common product, you can buy Red Wine Vinegar in grocery stores and most other stores that sell groceries (Walmart, Target, convenience stores, etc.).
Of course, you can also save yourself the hassle and shop online. Amazon offers these:
Happy Belly’s Red Wine Vinegar is Amazon’s brand’s basic, affordable, and more than suitable for everyday cooking vinegar.
Banyul’s Gourmet Red Wine Vinegar is more expensive, has been aged for five years, and is imported from France. This Red Wine Vinegar is a gourmet choice.
Colavita’s Raspberry Red Wine Vinegar offers a slightly different taste experience and is worth a try. It works quite well for salad dressings.
Red Wine
Ingredients
Red Wine ingredient lists can be rather interesting. The US state has approved over 60 additives that can be used in wine production, some of which the normal person can’t even pronounce.
The most basic ingredients in red wine are Grapes, calcium carbonate, sulfur dioxide, water, and yeast.
There can also be traces of egg white and fishy parts. Yes, that’s right – some wines aren’t suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
The labeling laws also differ from state to state, so count yourself lucky when you find a producer that is transparent about what exactly has gone into their red wine.
How Is Red Wine Made?
Red wine is made by fermenting red grapes (as opposed to white wine).
The fermentation process can be quite involved, depending on the vineyard. Some go about it the more traditional way (more expensive wines, often better quality), while others want to produce wine as quickly as possible (usually the cheaper wines).
What Kinds Of Red Wine Are Available? Where Can I Buy It?
Buying red wine is more complicated than buying red wine vinegar. First, you must be 21 years old to buy alcohol.
In addition, the laws about which shops can sell alcohol vary widely from state to state. In some states, you can buy red wine in grocery stores; in other states, you must go to a liquor store.
To find out where to buy red wine in your state, you need to inform yourself about the liquor laws in your state (you can find them here).
Comparison Questions
Which Is More Acidic?
Red Wine vinegar’s acidity is 3.5% to 4.5%, while Red Wine Vinegar is less acidic at 6-7%.
Fun Fact: White Wine is more acidic than Red Wine – but Coca-Cola and other lemonades are even more acidic!
Which Is More Affordable?
Red wine comes in many different price categories, and while you can get cheap bottles of red wine, they will not be as cheap as a bottle of red wine vinegar.
In addition, red wine is, on average, harder to buy in many US states.
Which Has More Uses? Which Is Better For Cooking?
Red wine and red wine vinegar are different and are usually used for different purposes.
Red wine can add flavor and moisture to braised or stewed meats and is sometimes used in dessert sauces. Of course, you can also just drink it.
Red wine vinegar is normally used for uncooked meals, such as salads or sandwiches. It is suitable for cooking, but red wine is usually the better option. Drinking red wine vinegar is not recommended.
Final Thoughts
While Red Wine can bring out the flavors in your meals, purchasing it can be problematic in some states.
If you live in a state with strict alcohol laws, it might be easier and more convenient just to use red wine vinegar, as it’s available in many different stores. Even though the products are different, it’s not a big issue to swap red wine in recipes for red wine vinegar.