9 easy Red Wine Vinegar Substitute ideas, plus how to make your own homemade red wine vinegar, for all of your cooking needs! These common pantry items are probably in your home making them super easy to swap out for red wine vinegar on the fly!
750mlred wine(use a brand that you enjoy drinking!)
water
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Instructions
Pour the red wine into a clean, wide-mouthed canning jar that can hold at least 64 ounces of liquid. Secure the lid on the jar and shake the red wine to aerate.
Remove the lid and add enough water so that the jar is ¾ full. Add the live mother of vinegar (see notes below to make a homemade mother of vinegar, or check out the link provided to buy one that's ready to use).
Cover the jar with a layer of cheesecloth and use a rubber band to secure the cheesecloth in place. Set your covered and sealed jar in a dark space where it can be undisturbed during the fermentation process for the next 3-4 weeks.
Check the fermenting red wine periodically to make sure that the mother of vinegar is not growing any mold (look for black, green, or white spots - remove them this first time around, if mold persists discard the batch and start again).
Within a few weeks, the mother of vinegar should sink to the bottom of the jar and you should begin to smell a 'vinegar' hint to the jarred contents. Taste each week to check the progression. It will take a couple of months to fully get the desired red wine vinegar flavor.
Once your vinegar tastes satisfactory, strain it through a cheesecloth-lined plastic sieve or colander and store for use in a clean glass jar or jars. Save the mother of vinegar to make more!
Notes
I've linked in the mother of vinegar (MOV) to get you started, however, you can also make your own. Follow these instructions:
1 liter of red wine vinegar
1 bottle of red wine (at least 750 mL)
Pour the red wine vinegar into a saucepan and warm over low heat. Once heated, continue to cook at low heat for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Transfer the cooled red wine vinegar to a pot large enough to hold both the red wine vinegar and red wine. Add the red wine and cover the pot, then leave the mixture out in a warm spot at room temperature for 2-4 weeks.
To check to see if a mother has formed, first make sure that you do not use any metal in the pot and that you do not HAVE ANY metal jewelry on your hands.
Pour the red wine vinegar carefully through a plastic colander or sieve into a non-metallic bowl. If you have a gelatinous membrane (or film) remaining in the colander and your strained liquid tastes like red wine vinegar, you've got it!
Store your mother of vinegar fully immersed in vinegar in an airtight glass or HDPE (High-density polyethylene) plastic container. These can last virtually forever! Or, start your next batch of homemade red wine vinegar!
Your homemade red wine vinegar can be stored for up to a year but will become milder in flavor as it ages.