Katz Sparkling Wine Vinegar
375 ml - Napa, CA
Sparkling Wine Vinegar
from Albert & Kim Katz
In the beginning of time, at least for this Katz vinegar, it was named Champagne, as was all vinegar of this type which came from a wine with bubbles. And then Albert had an epiphany - the sparkling wine didn't come from Champagne, France; instead, it came from great sparkling Chardonnay wine in Napa/Suisun Valley, and voila! - his vinegar was renamed Sparkling Wine Vinegar - and the rest is history!
The result was a vinegar that took off! Chefs all around the region swooped it up. This is a wonderful, versatile, and full-flavored vinegar.
Champagne or Sparkling Wine Vinegar is considered the lightest of vinegars, and that usually means a bit more acid on the tongue, and a light flavor of the base "champagne" remains after production. This delicious sparkling wine vinegar is made slowly, the old-fashioned way, and that means it's full of flavor.
Katz & Co.'s Sparkling Wine Vinegar is made in Sonoma from high-quality sparkling wine stock, Chardonnay – so technically, it's a 'sparkling wine' vinegar. It offers crisp and pleasant acidity, hints of vanilla from the oak, and subtle nuances of sweet melon and cucumber in the finish. It is perfect for salads with fresh greens, marinades, as well as a cooking/deglazing liquid.
Vinegar is one of the original "slow foods" – in millennium past, it was used as a beverage, in cooking, and as the basis of most sauces. Over time, art has yielded to industry, and the traditional slow methods, such as the "Orleans" method, gave way to large "generators," which could produce uniform batches of vinegar in days rather than months or years.
This is accomplished by adding heat and oxygen to the tanks along with a considerable amount of agitation. This results in vinegars that look and taste the same year after year - little to none of the flavor characteristics from the base wine survive to reach these uniform bottles of acid.
The 500-year-old Orleans method relies on quality wine, oak barrels, time, and an artisan's judgment. Specialized bacteria, acetobacters, are introduced into the wine with oxygen, creating the perfect environment for the conversion of alcohol to acid.
The process is driven by Mother Nature, and it can take anywhere from three to six months. Then all but 10% of the finished vinegar is drawn off and placed in oak barrels for aging; the remainder is left in the converter to be used as the "mother" for the next batch of vinegar. More wine is added to the conversion barrel, and the process begins again.