What Is Vinegar?

• Vinegar is a common ingredient in many recipes and you probably have at least one variety of it in your cupboard. Among other uses, vinegar is used for preserving because it kills bacteria that may spoil foods. It is made by oxidizing ethanol, or rather by exposing it to oxygen. Vinegar is produced quickly – within just a few days – and the result is a sharp, bitter taste. The acid that produces this taste is called acetic acid, and most bottles of vinegar are made primarily of water to help dilute the acid.

Making Merlot

• All wines are produced by harvesting, crushing and destemming the grapes, and preparing the juice before the juice is fermented into wine. It is at the fermentation stage that merlot differs from vinegar in a significant, chemical way. When wine is fermented, it is done so in the absence of oxygen. This helps keep the oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules together in the grape juice to preserve the alcohol. During the bottling phase, wine is sealed with a cork or a screw cap to keep oxygen out of the bottle, which will ruin the wine.

Arguing Culinary Semantics

• Although vinegar and merlot are made differently, in that oxygen is present in the making of one while it is absent in the production of the other, it may be hard to distinguish between vinegar and spoiled merlot by taste alone. The difference is contained within the chemical constructs of the two liquids. Vinegar is diluted acetic acid that is produced by adding specific bacteria into the solution that converts sugar directly into the acid. Alcohol is not produced in the process. Although the alcohol in merlot may convert to a mild form of acetic acid over an extended period of time – several months or more – it does not contain the other chemicals necessary for the conversion of wine to vinegar. So, while spoiled merlot may have a vinegary taste, it isn’t the same thing as the vinegar in your cupboard.

Maintain Your Merlot’s Integrity

• When a bottle of merlot oxidizes, it loses its liveliness. It is flat in color and may taste like vinegar. To avoid this faux vinegar state, always store opened bottles of wine in the refrigerator. Store bottles on their sides to keep their corks wet. This helps to prevent oxygen from entering the bottle. Keep merlot and other wines at a consistent temperature in a cool, dark place. A steady temperature helps the compounds in wine to remain intact.