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Sherry vinegar is a gourmet wine vinegar
Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
 made from Sherry
Sherry

Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. In Spanish language, it is called Vino de Jerez....
. It is produced in the Spanish province of Cádiz
Cádiz (province)

C?diz is a Provinces of Spain of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain of Andalusia, the southernmost part of continental Western Europe....
 and inside the triangular area between the city of Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of C?diz in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southwestern Spain. As of 2007, the city had 202,687 inhabitants; it is the largest city in the province of C?diz and the fifth largest in Andalusia....
 and towns of Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Sanl?car de Barrameda is a city in the northwest of C?diz , part of the autonomous communities of Spain of Andalusia in southern Spain. Sanl?car is located at the mouth of the Guadalquivir....
 and El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María

El Puerto de Santa Mar?a is a city located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of C?diz , Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 82,306, of which 50,000 live in the urban center, and the remainder in the surrounding areas....
, known as the "sherry triangle".

To be called vinagre de Jerez, by law the Sherry vinegar must undergo ageing in American oak for a minimum of six months, can only be aged within the "sherry triangle" and must have a minimum of 7 degrees acidity.






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Sherry vinegar is a gourmet wine vinegar
Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
 made from Sherry
Sherry

Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. In Spanish language, it is called Vino de Jerez....
. It is produced in the Spanish province of Cádiz
Cádiz (province)

C?diz is a Provinces of Spain of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain of Andalusia, the southernmost part of continental Western Europe....
 and inside the triangular area between the city of Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of C?diz in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southwestern Spain. As of 2007, the city had 202,687 inhabitants; it is the largest city in the province of C?diz and the fifth largest in Andalusia....
 and towns of Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Sanl?car de Barrameda is a city in the northwest of C?diz , part of the autonomous communities of Spain of Andalusia in southern Spain. Sanl?car is located at the mouth of the Guadalquivir....
 and El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María

El Puerto de Santa Mar?a is a city located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of C?diz , Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 82,306, of which 50,000 live in the urban center, and the remainder in the surrounding areas....
, known as the "sherry triangle".

To be called vinagre de Jerez, by law the Sherry vinegar must undergo ageing in American oak for a minimum of six months, can only be aged within the "sherry triangle" and must have a minimum of 7 degrees acidity. Most Sherry vinegars are aged using the same solera
Solera

Solera is a process for aging liquids such as wine, vinegar, and brandy, by fractional blending in such a way that the finished product is mixture of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over many years....
 system as the Sherry wines and Brandy de Jerez
Brandy de Jerez

Brandy de Jerez is a brandy that is produced only in the Jerez area of Andalusia, Spain . Besides being sold as a brandy, it is also an ingredient of some Sherry....
.

The production and quality of sherry vinegar is monitored and controlled by the Consejo Regulador and Sherry vinegar has its own Denominación de Origen
Denominación de Origen

Denominaci?n de Origen is part of a regulatory classification system primarily for Spanish wines but also for other foodstuffs like honey, meats and condiments....
, which is protected by Spanish and EU law. The only other vinegars with similar protected designation of origin are "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale"
Balsamic vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is a condiment originating from Italy.The original traditional product, made from a reduction of cooked grape juice and not a vinegar in the usual sense, has been made in Modena and Reggio Emilia since the Middle Ages....
 from Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy and "Condado de Huelva"
Condado de Huelva

The Condado de Huelva is a winegrowing area with its own Denominaci?n de Origen in the South-East of the province of Huelva . The wines known as the Wines of the Discovery of America are produced there....
 in Spain

Age Categories

  • Vinagre de Jerez has a minimum of 6 months ageing in wood.
  • Vinagre de Jerez Reserva has a minimum of 2 years ageing in wood.
  • Vinagre de Jerez Gran Reserva is a new category with a minimum of 10 years ageing in wood.


Styles

The style of sherry vinegar depends mainly on the grape variety used to produce the wine it is made from.

  • Palomino
    Palomino (grape)

    Palomino is a white grape widely grown in Spain and South Africa, and best known for its use in the manufacture of sherry.Also found in Australia and California where it is also used mainly to produce fortified wines, the grape was once thought to be the Golden Chasselas, a grape grown in California....
    : Most sherry vinegar is produced from wines which were made from the Palomino grape. The wine being used to produce the vinegar can be young wine or can be a wine which has already aged.


  • al Pedro Ximénez
    Pedro Ximénez

    Pedro Xim?nez is the name of a white grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a varietal wine, an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry....
    : Wines produced from the Pedro Ximénez
    Pedro Ximénez

    Pedro Xim?nez is the name of a white grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a varietal wine, an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry....
     grape are usually sweet, often very sweet, and consequently the vinegars produced from these wines are usually sweeter than other sherry vinegars or at the very least have a sweet raisin nose. Sometimes Palomino vinegars are sweetened with the addition of a small amount of Pedro Ximénez
    Pedro Ximénez

    Pedro Xim?nez is the name of a white grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a varietal wine, an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry....
     wine (residual alcohol can not be more than 3%).


  • Moscatel: Small amounts of sherry vinegar are produced from the Moscatel grape.


Uses

Sherry vinegar was originally "discovered" by French chefs. In 2008 France was the largest market for sherry vinegar.

Vinaigrette
Vinaigrette

The word vinaigrette or vinegarette can refer to:* Vinaigrette , the salad dressing or sauce.* A small container with a perforated top, used to contain an aromatic substance such as vinegar or smelling salts, especially popular for women in Victorian era to combat the aroma from the waste products common in cities....
 made from sherry vinegar is particularly flavourful and matches well with many foods, not just salads, but steamed asparagus or globe artichoke for example.

In Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of C?diz in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southwestern Spain. As of 2007, the city had 202,687 inhabitants; it is the largest city in the province of C?diz and the fifth largest in Andalusia....
 a traditional dish is "Riñones al Jerez": lambs kidneys with a sauce made from sherry wine and sherry vinegar.

The best sherry vinegars have a deep, complex flavour and enhance the flavours in soups, stews, sauces, casseroles and dressings.

Use Sherry Vinegar to make the perfect Gazpacho
Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a cold Spanish cuisine tomato-based raw foodism vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalusia. Gazpacho is widely consumed throughout Spain, neighboring Portugal and parts of Latin America....
 or Salmorejo
Salmorejo

Salmorejo is a soup based on tomato and bread, originating in C?rdoba, Spain in the south of Spain. It is made from tomatoes, bread, oil, garlic and vinegar....
.

History

Vinegar from sherry has been around since sherry was first produced in and around Jerez. In the sherry bodegas wines which had undergone acetic fermentation and turned to vinegar used to be considered failures, however since the 1950s winemakers started to view sherry vinegar as a product in its own right and now even encourage it. They also began to carefully age their vinegars in the same way as their wines and brandies.

Barrels containing vinegar are always quickly removed from the wine bodega, this is to prevent other barrels of wine also turning to vinegar. Any barrels which have contained vinegar cannot usually be used to store wine again due to the risk of acetic fermentation. In the past the vinegar was given away to staff and family of the owner or sold at the bodega door. Some barrels were stored separately and often forgotten about. These vinegars, many over 50 years old, are now being re-discovered.

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