Vinegar: from mild and fruity to strong and acidic

Vinegar is an acidic condiment created when acetic acid bacteria convert the alcohol in wine, cider, or diluted spirits into acetic acid. Depending on the base ingredient and other additions, it can taste crisp and sharp, soft and fruity, or sweet and dense. In this category, all the vinegars from Leni & Hans are gathered in one place: fruit vinegars, wine vinegars, balsamic vinegar, and specialties like herb vinegar or vinegar-based sauces.

What defines a vinegar

It always begins with an alcoholic liquid. Wine vinegar is made from white or red wine, apple cider vinegar from apple wine or apple must, and neutral spirit vinegar—often used as a base for fruit vinegars—from diluted spirits. Some producers allow their vinegar to ferment naturally and slowly, while others bottle it unfiltered, including sediment and "mother of vinegar." Both approaches influence the taste and appearance.

The acidity level is on every bottle

The most important number on the label is the percentage of acidity. According to EU law, wine vinegar must contain at least 6% acidity and therefore tastes quite robust. The fruit vinegars from Fruchtwerker contain 3% acidity because up to a quarter of the bottle is comprised of fruit. Cremas, vinaigrettes, and honey vinegars fall in between at 3% to 4.4%. For you, this means: the higher the acidity, the more sparingly you should use it, and the better suited the vinegar is for pickling and marinating.

What gets added to the vinegar

Many vinegars only develop their true character through a second ingredient. Fruits soaked in the vinegar provide color, aroma, and sweetness. Honey rounds out the flavor, while reduced grape must provides a dense, sweet quality, as seen in balsamic vinegar. For herb and infusion vinegars, ingredients like wild garlic, dried tomatoes, or porcini mushrooms are steeped in the vinegar. For vinegar-based sauces and vinaigrettes, the producer has already added wine, fruit, mustard, or herbs, so you can get started right away.

Our vinegar producers

Our bestseller is the raspberry vinegar from Fruchtwerker in Talkau, Schleswig-Holstein. There, whole fruits are steeped cold in spirit and wine vinegar—ranging from raspberries and Boskoop apples from the Altes Land region to black currants, whose tart vinegar pairs perfectly with duck and game.

ezzich from Großhaslach in Middle Franconia ferments Bacchus and Dornfelder grapes from the organic winery Hofmann into wine vinegar—such as their organic white wine vinegar in a kitchen bottle—and uses it to create herb and mushroom vinegars like the organic porcini mushroom vinegar. For those who want to try them out, there is the organic vinegar tasting set featuring six vinegars in a wooden crate.

The vinegars from Lang Weinessig come from Gommersheim in the Southern Palatinate: vinaigrettes based on wine vinegar aged in oak barrels, the Balsamico Südpfalz, and vinegar-based sauces like Riesling & Fig, which you can place on the table as a dip. Wajos from Dohr on the Moselle contributes thick, syrupy cremas, such as the sun-yellow Mango Crema.

Apple cider vinegar comes in many varieties: DR. HÖHL'S from Maintal near Frankfurt bottles its naturally cloudy organic BioEss apple cider vinegar made from meadow orchard apples unfiltered; Gruber's Fruchtzauberei from Styria ferments apple must; and Heldenberger Apfelbiene from the Wetterau region makes apple balsamic vinegar from heirloom varieties. Balsamic and light condimento from Sorbara near Modena are supplied by Villa Estense and Puro, while a sampler pack with five organic vinegars is offered by Ölmühle Solling.

Which vinegar goes with which dish

In everyday life, three bottles are usually enough to cover your needs. For potato salad, cucumber salad, and pickled onions, reach for white wine or apple cider vinegar. Red wine vinegar gives lentil soup, red cabbage, and braised dishes the finishing touch. Fruit vinegars with 3% acidity can be used generously over leaf salads; cherry and plum pair well with red cabbage, orange and lemon with fennel and fish, and pomegranate with bulgur and lamb. Balsamic and cremas should be drizzled at the end over tomatoes, cheese, roasted vegetables, or vanilla ice cream. If a pan sauce feels too heavy, deglaze it with a splash of vinegar to give it a fresher taste. A spoonful of apple or fruit vinegar in sparkling water makes for a refreshing vinegar spritzer.

Buying and storing vinegar correctly

• Choose by acidity: 3% for mild salads and drinking, 5 to 6% for pickling, marinades, and bold dressings.
• Naturally cloudy vs. clear: Naturally cloudy vinegar contains sediment and sometimes a "mother," while filtered vinegar remains clear in the bottle and is well-suited for preserving.
• Sweetness: Fruchtwerker sweetens with sugar, while the fruit and wine vinegars from ezzich contain no added sugar.
• Bottle size: 250 ml to try out, 500 ml for the varieties you use every week, and 3-piece sets and sampler packs for comparison.
• Storage: Keep tightly closed, in a dark place, and at room temperature. Due to its acidity, vinegar has a very long shelf life and does not need to be refrigerated. For cremas and sauces, follow the instructions on the label.

The vinegar categories at a glance

If you already know what you are looking for, you can continue directly here. Under fruit vinegar, you will find apple, raspberry, cherry, and aronia vinegar, along with sampler packs. Wine vinegar gathers organic white and red wine vinegars from Franconia as well as the vinaigrettes from the Southern Palatinate. In balsamic vinegar & balsamic glaze, you will find Aceto Balsamico di Modena, Condimento Bianco, and cremas. Under other vinegar specialties are herb, tomato, and mushroom vinegars, vinegar-based sauces, ready-to-use salad dressings, and gift sets. The matching oil can be found in the oils category.

Order vinegar online

From raspberry vinegar for lamb's lettuce to red wine vinegar for lentil soup: order your vinegar online at Leni & Hans, and your package will be in your kitchen in 1–3 days.