THE RED WINE VINEGAR

The next time you visit our tasting room, try our homemade red wine vinegar! Here is a little history in the meantime. Many families in the Old World cultivated their own bread yeasts, herbs and flowers, livestock, and other necessities. Our ancestors brought these staples when they emigrated to America in the 19th century. Some brought jars filled with a vinegar 'mother,' -- an active culture that transforms the wine. Ours remains active through five generations. Pictured below is a cutaway view of a vinegar barrel. The mother takes up about 1/5 of the space in a 60 gallon barrel. To make vinegar, we cut pieces off the mature mother (which has the consistency of liver), and put them in a new barrel. Those are fed wine over a period of months.

PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE

The original barrel of red wine vinegar is still in the basement of Great Grandpa's house. Our cousins have their own barrels, also. More barrels allow for better aging - and there is always a barrel ready when we need it.

WHAT TO DO WITH VINEGAR

Serve over salad; garnish fresh steamed vegetables; dip hot bread into a small cup; mix a few tablespoons with pesto on pasta; marinate meat; mix with yogurt for healthy fish dip... "Clear the sinuses": In whatever amounts you feel comfortable, combine: hot orange pekoe tea, orange muscat, red wine vinegar, honey, lemon slice, salt and a sugar cube. Drink it slow! DEBBIE'S MANDARIN SALAD 1/4 cup sliced sugar almonds (prep below) 1/4 head lettuce + 1/4 bunch romaine (torn up) 2 med. stalks chopped celery or pepperocinis, cherry tomatoes, and cheese 2 green onions or halved purple onion rings Sweet and sour dressing (dressing prep below) 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. Sugar 1 can mandarin oranges (drained) SWEET & SOUR DRESSING 1/4 cup virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp. Spinetta Wine Vinegar, _ tsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. snipped parsley & pepper to taste. Shake all ingredients in tightly covered jar and refrigerate until ready to serve salad. Place lettuce, celery and onions in a lidded container or a plastic bag. Pour on dressing, add oranges, and shake or stir to coat well. Mix in almonds at the last minute. SUGAR ALMONDS Cook almonds and sugar over low heat, stirring sugar until melted and nuts are coated. Cool nuts on foil, then break apart. Laura (Mom) Spinetta also has a recipe with sour cream coming soon... LAURA'S DRESSING 1/4 cup wine vinegar 1/4 cup orange juice 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard Italian parsley and fresh basil to taste 1/2 cup olive oil Whirl in blender for 1 minute - makes about 1 cup. MIKE'S BBQ'D FRUIT Told how to by his friend Steve, modified once by Mike, and now modified by wine drinker Shannlyn (aloha!), this is really good! Halve any fruit like apples, pears, or apricots. In the now hollow core or where the stone came out, score it a little bit. Put a ring of brown sugar around the edge of the fruit. BBQ the fruit skin side down (cut side up) and flip it over when you think it's ready. The juices will splash down onto the meat below. It smells great while you're doing it, and the fruit is a great side dish for dinner. I like having pork ribs with it. **NEW** Use the sauce recipe below, but instead of drinking it right away, use it to baste on more sauce to keep the fruit hydrated. SHANNLYN'S MARINATED MANGOS Green mangos are best for this. Put a little bit less soy sauce than vinegar in a Ziploc bag with however many cut pieces of mango you want to eat -- REAL soy sauce (from Hawaii) that is. Put in brown sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper, too. Let it set in the fridge for a few hours, eat the fruit and drink the marinade when you're done. It's good for you! MIKE'S DRESSING This red wine vinegar is great when you mix it with plain old yogurt. Maybe about 15% vinegar and 85% yogurt. Then pick whatever fresh herbs you have in your garden and blend them all together. Let it sit for a couple of nights so the flavors meld together. It's tart and tangy and savory. You don't even need to put it on a salad - have a lump of it by itself.

Visit the tasting room and try some today! Sorry - we don't ship it. And remember - care for your vinegar by putting it in a dark, cool cupboard away from sunlight. Try to use the bottle in a year's time - and when you're halfway through, pour it in a smaller bottle so it lasts longer. Hope you enjoyed this little bit of our heritage.