Red Wine Vinegar
Red wine vinegar is a sharp, fruity vinegar fermented from red wine, a workhorse acid in French, Italian, and Spanish cooking for dressings, marinades, and pickling.
How to buy
Look for vinegar made from actual wine rather than distilled vinegar with added color and flavoring; a good bottle should smell fruity and winey, not just sharply acidic. Aged versions develop more depth, similar to a mild balsamic.
How to store
Keep in a cool, dark pantry; it's shelf-stable for a long time thanks to its acidity and doesn't need refrigeration even after opening, though the cap should be kept tight to limit evaporation and oxidation.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Sharp and tangy with a fruity, wine-like depth and a faint tannic edge from the red wine base -- more robust and fruitier than white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar.
- Texture
- Thin and watery, like most vinegars, with no body of its own.
- Aroma
- A fruity, winey aroma with a sharp acidic bite, carrying over some of the red wine's grape character.
How to prepare
- Whisked into vinaigrette — The classic base for French and Italian salad dressings.
- Used in marinades — Tenderizes and flavors meats, especially in Mediterranean grilling.
- Added to braises — Splashed into sauces and stews for brightness and acidity.
- Used in quick pickling — Brined with sugar and salt for fast pickled onions or vegetables.
Classic dishes
American
- Steak marinade — Red wine vinegar used as a tenderizing base for grilling marinades.
Italian
- Italian antipasto marinade — Vegetables marinated in olive oil and red wine vinegar.
- Panzanella — A bread salad dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar.
- Giardiniera — Mixed pickled vegetables held in a vinegar brine.
Mexican
- Pickled red onions — Onions quick-pickled in a red wine vinegar brine.
- Pickled jalapeños — Peppers pickled in a tangy vinegar brine.
French
- Classic French vinaigrette — Oil and red wine vinegar whisked together with mustard.
- Sauce chasseur — A hunter's sauce for chicken brightened with a splash of red wine vinegar.
- Braised lentils finished with vinegar — Lentils brightened with a splash of vinegar stirred in at the end.
Mediterranean
- Marinated olives — Olives marinated in vinegar, herbs, and olive oil.
Greek
- Greek salad dressing — Olive oil and red wine vinegar whisked together as the base dressing.
Spanish
- Shrimp escabeche — Seafood marinated and lightly pickled in a vinegar brine.
German
- Braised red cabbage — Cabbage braised with red wine vinegar and apples until tender.
- Sweet and sour cabbage slaw — Cabbage dressed in a tangy vinegar-and-sugar dressing.
Cajun & Creole
- Muffuletta olive salad — The classic New Orleans olive salad bound with red wine vinegar and oil.
Substitutions
- Balsamic Vinegar — Sweeter and thicker, so expect a rounder, less sharply acidic result in dressings.