where spoiled barrels of Bordeaux and
Burgundy wine on their way to Paris were
identified and salvaged as vinegar. In the
Orléans process, wood barrels are partly filled
with diluted wine, inoculated with a mother
from a previous batch, and allowed to
ferment. Periodically, some vinegar is drawn
off and replaced by new wine. This method is
slow, because the transformation of alcohol to
acetic acid is limited to the wine surface
exposed to the air. But the slow fermentation
leaves time for reactions among the alcohol,
acetic acid, and other molecules, and produces
the finest flavor. When optimized, this
process can yield a barrel full of vinegar in
two months.
Streamlined Trickling and Submerged
Cultures In the second, “trickling” method,
the wine is poured repeatedly over a porous,
air-rich matrix — wood shavings, or a
synthetic material — onto which the acetic