Fermentationist
Make / Vinegar

Method · New on 9 October 2026

How to make vinegar at home

Wine or hard cider, a vinegar culture, air and warmth: how to make vinegar at home, how to finish it, and why homemade vinegar is not for canning.

You need
Wine or hard cider, vinegar culture
Ferment
About 3–4 weeks at 16–27 °C 2
Not for
Canning or room-temperature pickles 2
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A bottle of homemade vinegar with a cloudy mother

Vinegar is made in a second fermentation: acetic acid bacteria turn the alcohol in wine or cider into acetic acid, and they need oxygen to do it. 13 That is why vinegar is made in a wide container covered only by a cloth, not under an airlock.

You need

  • Wine or hard cider. Dilute wine with water to 5.5–7% alcohol 1
  • A vinegar culture (mother) bought from a supplier 1. We have not found a primary source for a home ratio of culture to wine; follow the supplier’s instructions

Equipment

  • A wide glass, stainless steel or enamel container; never aluminium or other bare metal 12
  • Cheesecloth and a rubber band 2
  • A fine filter or cloth and a thermometer for finishing

Method

  1. Fill

    Pour the wine or cider and the culture into the container, filling it no more than two-thirds to three-quarters full so there is air over the liquid. 12

  2. Cover

    Cover with cheesecloth so air can reach the surface but insects cannot. 12

  3. Keep warm

    Keep at 16–27 °C (60–80 °F), out of direct sun; 27–29 °C (80–85 °F) is ideal. Cooler temperatures do not always produce usable vinegar. 21

  4. Wait and taste

    After about 3–4 weeks it smells strongly of vinegar. Taste a sample daily until it is as strong as you want. 2

  5. Filter

    Filter out the mother and sediment. Keep part of the mother if you want to start another batch. 12

  6. Pasteurise

    Heat the filtered vinegar to at least 60 °C (140 °F) but not above 71 °C (160 °F), holding it for at least 30 minutes, then bottle it. 21

How to tell it is ready

  • A sharp vinegar smell and taste at the strength you want 2
  • Do not leave it much longer once the alcohol is gone: over-oxidation turns the acid into carbon dioxide and water and weakens it 3

Storing it

  • Pasteurised and sealed, it keeps almost indefinitely in a cool, dark place 12
  • Once opened, it can grow mould; discard it if it does 14

Next batch: change one thing

Write down what you did in a Batch Card, change a single variable (time, temperature, starter or ingredient) and compare. Problems? See Vinegar problems and fixes.

Sources

  1. NC State Extension: Vinegar makingDilute wine to 5.5–7% alcohol; use a pure vinegar culture; fill containers two-thirds and cover with cloth for air; ideal 80–85 °F (27–29 °C); glass, stainless steel or enamel; pasteurise at 140–160 °F (60–71 °C) for at least 30 minutes; store cool and dark; mould can contaminate opened vinegar. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  2. Ohio State University Extension: Making cider vinegar at home (HYG-5346)Fill three-quarters, leave lids open, stir daily, cover with cheesecloth, out of direct sun; 60–80 °F (16–27 °C) for about 3–4 weeks; taste daily until strong enough; filter and heat to 140–160 °F (60–71 °C); homemade vinegar of unknown acidity is not used for canning or room-temperature storage. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  3. Mas et al. (2014), Acetic acid bacteria and the production and quality of wine vinegar, Scientific World JournalAcetic acid bacteria need oxygen; producers keep a little alcohol to prevent over-oxidation, which turns acetic acid to carbon dioxide and water and weakens the vinegar. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  4. Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Flavored vinegars (HGIC 3470)If a vinegar shows mould, bubbling, cloudiness or sliminess, discard it. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  5. National Center for Home Food Preservation: General information on picklingUse vinegar of 5% acidity for pickling; do not use vinegar of unknown acidity. Accessed 2026-10-09.

Numbers on this page come from these sources. Where sources give a range, we quote the range rather than a single figure.

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