Vinegar Professor's Gift Guide 2024
2024 was a big year for vinegar: we held our first USI International Vinegar Competition (submissions for 2025 coming soon …), tasted hundreds of bottles, and posted vinegar content from famous Chinese vinegars to South African green tea types. Here are a bunch of vinegar-based beauties that will brighten your holidays, and open up your palate (and mind) for a happy new year.
Bottle Cap Balsamics
Three generations ago, Arduino and Zin Guerzoni started making their family’s balsamic, but it wasn’t until recent decades that they’ve become the first balsamic vinegar of Modena IGP that’s both biodynamic and organic! Now, three generations later, Lorenzo crown caps 250ml superb stubbies with premium grape must and wine vinegar (go for the gold!) — plus, they produce an exemplary apple vinegar that’s been aged in barrels for several weeks.
Have a Balsamic Ball
Saporalia, the Italian gourmet food company is inventing ways we enjoy balsamico with their newest idea: the Vivante Ball! A shaveable way of adding balsamic vinegar to your risotto, eggs, or even ice cream. Great grated texture, can be melted and reshaped, even powdered. Watch their video here for more ideas.
Truffle-Scented Condiments
What a wonderful world to have Geofoods’s white wine vinegar flavored with the scent of winter truffle. Add a spritz to a salad, crudo, or perhaps wear it as perfume? There’s a balsamic version for those dark winter night stews and steaks too.
Sherry Wine
If you’ve bulked up on balsamic already, take a stab at Spain’s sherry vinegars. This 16-year Montegrato Pedro Ximénez from Despana Foods is round and complex. A certifiable chef’s kiss for any dish!
Red, Red Wine (Vinegar)
This Valpoicella red wine vinegar imported by Gustiamo from the province of Verona, east of Lake Garda, is one of Italy’s top winemaking areas, is robust, and ready to become your go-to.
A Vinegar The Will Make You Say “O”
California wine country’s premier artisan vinegar maker, O Olive Oil & Vinegar, serves up their beautiful and bright Raspberry Champagne Vinegar, reminiscent of a Kir Royale. Stunning for salads — try on fresh fruit too!
NA RTD ACV
Jukes, an non-alcoholic red to drink sparkling “wine” uses ACV as their bright base. Red, white and rosé versions sport citrus, fruit and spices as their aromatic with just the right amount of vinegar for that high acid effect.
Chinese Famous Vinegar Collection
No old world vinegar collection is complete with the four famous Chinese vinegars. Well, you can get 3 out of 4 at Mala Market (Sichuan’s Baoning, Shanxi’s Ninghuafu and Jiangsu’s Zhenjiang). All that’s missing is Fujian’s red yeast rice vinegar, coming soon… This 6-year aged Chinkiang black vinegar is worth the wait as well.
Farm-Fresh Shrubs
The shop at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee makes some pretty great sweet-and-sour shrubs from seasonal fruit and flora. Try the sweet and herbaceous Strawberry & Pine Bud, as well as the deep, dark and profound Blackberry & Black Walnut. I like them with a splash of seltzer as an NA cocktail, or after dinner digestif.
If you’re on the west coast, check out all the farms, orchards and groves Sideyard works with, bottling pure sunshine!
Maple Syrup (Vinegar?!)
Laurel & Ash’s sweetness up apple cider vinegar with a splash of their own maple syrup, for a sweet-tart treat! Reduce it down and it’s great on pancakes, for real!
Green Tea (Vinegar)
Rozendal’s collection of South African herbs and spices creates a tisane to flavor this botanical green tea vinegar that’s unlike anything else I’ve had in the world!
Wild Rose
Or try Wild Rose Vinegar, from Copenhagen’s noma restaurant — hand-foraged and hand-crafted.
Cottage Laws
Alex Johnson of Northland Vinegar is making and selling midwestern-inspired vinegars at markets around Minnesota, using the state’s cottage laws to produce small-batch artisan acid. I’m hoping this encourages more vinegar makers to give the market a go.
Pepper Water
What is Pepper Water you ask? Poi Dog founder and pepper water proprietor Kiki Arnatia calls it the Hawaiian condiment that goes over everything (e.g. rice, meats, macaroni salad, vegetables). This batch uses rice and distilled vinegar, with aji amarillo, ancho and esplette peppers. Get it here or on Amazon.
And if you’re looking for a more traditional hot pepper sauce, Shaquanda’s brings the heat.
A Bunch of Books That Highlight Vinegar
Second Generation by Jeremy Salamon: Hungarian and Jewish Classics Reimagined for the Modern Table
Pass The Plate by Carolina Gelen: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes: A Cookbook
The Cook You Want To Be by Andy Baraghani: Everyday Recipes to Impress
