Grape Vinegar

How to Make Grape Vinegar

Vinegar types made with grapes include balsamic, red wine and white wine. An authentic balsamic vinegar ages for approximately 12 years. Making red wine and white wine vinegar at home is realistic because the process takes just around three months and requires only a few basic ingredients. The brewing steps are akin to making wine or beer, and a variety of outcomes are possible depending on the wine type chosen and the length of fermentation. A mother vinegar, or vinegar culture, is an aged bacteria purchased from a vinegar-making supply company that influences the quality and flavor outcome similar to the way a vine cutting influences wine.
Step 1
Pour the mother vinegar, wine and water into the container.
Step 2
Cover the container with a piece of cheesecloth and secure it with a large rubber band or twine.
Step 3
Place the container in a warm, dry location. The optimal temperature is between 80 and 90 degrees F.
Step 4
Allow it to stand and ferment for between three to six months.
Step 5
When the vinegar attains the desired flavor, pour it into a stockpot and heat on medium until it reaches 155 degrees F; continue cooking for 30 minutes.
Step 6
Cool the vinegar and pour it into a glass bottle, seal it and store it in the refrigerator.

Another Way to Make Vinegar

Spice up your recipes with grape vinegar. The strength of the vinegar, which is made by converting sugars to alcohol, depends on the amount of sugar you use. Fruit juice can provide the amount of sugar necessary for the fermentation process. However, preservatives can affect the quality and taste of your vinegar, so choose pure juice or make it yourself by using fresh grapes. Use your homemade vinegar to make salad dressing or for pickling recipes.

What You Need to Get Started

· Juicer

· Grapes or 8 cups pure grape juice

· Nonmetallic mixing bowl and spoon

· 8 cups unfiltered apple cider vinegar

· Nonmetallic funnel

· Gallon glass jug with an air seal

· Glass bottles

Step 1

Use your juicer to juice your grapes until you have 8 cups or 1/2 gallon juice.

Step 2

Pour the juice into a non-metallic bowl, and add the vinegar to the bowl. The vinegar contains the cultures you will need to convert your grape juice into vinegar.

Step 3

Use the funnel to transfer the vinegar mixture into the gallon jug.


Step 4

Place the jug in a dark location with a temperature maintained between 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 5

Taste your mixture once every couple weeks after four months to see if it has reached the strength you desire. It may take up to six months before your vinegar is ready.

Steps 6

Store your finished vinegar in glass bottles.

Grape Vinegar Benefits

From the French for "sour wine," vinegar includes a diverse family of culinary products produced through the process of fermentation. In the Western world, the most widely consumed vinegars are derived from grapes and apples. Grape-based vinegars come in several varieties--balsamic, red wine and white wine, for example--and offer distinctive properties that broaden their usefulness to applications well outside the kitchen. Check with your doctor before beginning any regimen of self-treatment.

Combats Metabolic Syndrome

Red wine vinegar contains a number of antioxidants that can help protect the body from metabolic syndrome, a collection of conditions that in combination increase your risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to MedlinePlus. Cal Orey, author of "The Healing Powers of Olive Oil," identifies the vinegar's health-promoting antioxidants as quercetin, polyphenols, tannins, proanthocyanidins, catechin and flavonoids.

Quercetin helps prevent diabetes by slowing the metabolism of insulin, says Orey. Polyphenols and tannins are helpful in inhibiting clotting factor and platelet aggregation, both of which are serious risk factors for heart attack and stroke. Tannins also help increase blood levels of high-density lipoproteins, the so-called good cholesterol. The proanthocyanidins in vinegar retard the formation of plaque on artery walls, and catechin and flavonoids work with one another to keep cholesterol levels healthy, according to Orey. Talk to a medical professional to determine whether this remedy is appropriate for you and your specific health conditions.

Grape-based vinegars generally contain between 5 percent and 10 percent acetic acid, which studies have shown is a natural appetite suppressant. Nutrition researchers at Sweden's Lund University studied the effects of vinegar of varying acetic acid levels on test subjects' glycemic and insulin responses, and their sense of fullness after a meal consisting solely of 50g white bread. In their findings, published in the July 2005 issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers reported that glucose and insulin responses were lowered and satiety increased in direct proportion to the level of acetic acid in the vinegars. Check with your doctor before using this or any other home or herbal remedy.

Eases Discomfort of Skin Irritations

The Vinegar Institute is an international trade association that represents most of the world's major producers of vinegars, many of which are grape-based. The institute's website offers a number of helpful remedies using vinegar, including a few for minor skin irritations. To soothe the pain of a bee or jellyfish sting, douse the affected area with grape vinegar. It also heads off itching if applied in a timely manner. Promptly apply chilled vinegar to a skin burn to prevent the formation of blisters; vinegar also can relieve the pain of sunburned skin. If you're troubled by dry and itchy skin, soak in a warm--not hot--bath to which 2 tbsp. grape vinegar have been added.

More  Health Benefits of Grape Vinegar

Vinegar is made through fermentation of sugars into acetic acid by microorganisms. It can be made from any fruit or any material containing sugar. Grape vinegar is synonymous with wine vinegar and is made by further fermentation of wine. It's used as a condiment, for pickling and to prepare some sauces. It is also strongly bactericidal and is used in traditional medicine to cure infections. Grape vinegar is low in calories and consumption is associated with a number of health benefits.

Weight Loss

The August 2009 issue of "Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry" reported that acetic acid -- the main component of grape vinegar -- can suppress body fat accumulation. The study, which was carried out among obese Japanese subjects, involved the participants drinking 0 mL, 15 mL, or 30 mL of vinegar daily for 12 weeks. Following treatment, the two groups drinking vinegar exhibited lower body weights, waist circumferences and blood triglyceride levels than the group not drinking vinegar.

Glucose and Insulin

Research reported in the September 2005 issue of the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" investigated whether addition of vinegar to a bread meal impacted on the postprandial glucose and insulin responses. The study found that the addition of vinegar resulted in lower blood glucose and insulin levels following consumption of the meal. The participants also reported increased satiety after the addition of vinegar. The higher the amount of vinegar used, the more pronounced these responses. These altered metabolic responses are also expected to be seen after consuming pickled products.
Anti-Oxidants

Grape vinegar, like red wine, is rich in polyphenols. These substances are powerful anti-oxidants that can help to protect you against damage by free radical molecules. Free radicals have been implicated in a number of chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory conditions. The darker the color of the vinegar, the higher the anti oxidant content.

Type 2 Diabetes

Consumption of vinegar is beneficial to type 2 diabetics, reported the November 2007 issue of "Diabetes Care." The researchers found that subjects taking vinegar at bedtime had lower blood glucose levels in the morning compared to subjects taking a placebo. This was the first study to describe a hypoglycemic effect of vinegar apart from mealtime. The authors attributed this to the effects of acetic acid on glucose metabolism in the liver, and note that vinegar may be beneficial to diabetic individuals to suffer from a pre-breakfast spike in fasting glucose, an event known as the dawn phenomenon.

What are the Nutritional Value of Grape Vinegar

Vinegar is used in many diverse ways, from a cleaning product to a home remedy cure-all. Vinegar offers nutritional benefits as well. There are several different types of vinegar, such as apple cider, red wine, balsamic and distilled, and all are unique both in flavor and nutritional value. They all have something to offer to any diet.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is well known for its home-remedy uses anything from treating nail fungus to using it as a throat gargle--but it has nutritional benefits as well. According to Nutrition Data, apple cider vinegar contains zero fat and no vitamins, but it does contain a few minerals: 1 tbsp. of cider vinegar contains 1 mg of calcium, 0.7 mg of magnesium, 1.2 mg of phosphorous and 10.8 mg of potassium. It also contains no crabs and only three calories, which is what makes it a dieter's favorite.

Red Wine Vinegar

Red wine vinegar also contains no fat, but it does contain a trace (less than 1 mg) of vitamin C. The minerals in 1 tbsp. of red wine vinegar are calcium (0.9 mg), iron (0.1 mg), magnesium (0.6 mg), phosphorous (1.2 mg) and potassium (5.8 mg). It also contains zero carbs and just less than three calories, making it a good addition to any diet. In addition, it imparts a richer and sweeter taste than apple cider vinegar.

Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is a popular alternative to red wine and apple cider vinegar. It also contains no fat and vitamins, but it contains more calcium per 1 tbsp. (4.3 mg), iron (0.1 mg), magnesium (1.9 mg), phosphorus (3 mg) and potassium (17.9 mg). It also contains sodium (3.7 mg). An article in the January 2, 2002 edition of the "Washington Post" mentions that balsamic vinegar makes a great addition to recipes when a bit of sweetness is desired. Balsamic vinegar does contain 2.7 g of carbs, which are mainly all derived from the natural sugar of the balsam plant. The 14 calories per tablespoon that balsamic contains are all derived from the sugar as well.



Distilled Vinegar

Distilled vinegar is also known as "white" vinegar, as it is so clear in color. Distilled vinegar has even less to offer nutritionally than its counterparts. Its taste is tart, and it has no vitamins, protein or fat. It does offer a trace of a few minerals, however: 1 tbsp. of distilled vinegar contains 0.9 mg of calcium, 0.1 mg of magnesium, 0. 6 mg of phosphorus and 0.3 mg of potassium. With less than three calories, it does make a good addition to salad dressings when flavored with additional spices.




 
LOWERING CHOLESTEROL WITH VINEGAR & GRAPE JUICE

High cholesterol is a common medical condition with serious health risks. The American Heart Association states that high cholesterol can lead to hardening of the arteries, coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Many people like the idea of using natural remedies to lower cholesterol, instead of or in addition to prescription medications. Although there are a number of proven strategies for lowering cholesterol, including regular exercise and a healthy diet, apple cider vinegar and grape juice recently have been touted as cholesterol reducers. Evidence is mixed, but both substances are healthy and worth a try.

Step 1
Drink more red or purple grape juice. MayoClinic.com states that red and purple grape juices contain antioxidants that lower low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol, the type of cholesterol that harms your arteries and heart. Drinking more of these juices might improve your cholesterol level and heart health.

Step 2
Eat whole red or purple grapes. By eating whole grapes rather than just drinking their expressed juice, your body will benefit from the fiber in the fruit as well as the cholesterol-lowering antioxidants of grape juice. Since fiber helps lower cholesterol too, you'll be getting an extra dose of cholesterol-decreasing nutrition.

Step 3
Try taking apple cider vinegar every day. While some studies show no effect of vinegar on cholesterol, other researchers believe daily apple cider vinegar is beneficial. Drink 1 tbsp daily, or use it on your salad if you cannot tolerate the taste on its own.