On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1460

simultaneously converts a portion of the abundant grape sugars into alcohol, and that alcohol into acetic acid These conversions proceed slowly, over the course of several years, because the high concentration of grape sugars and acids inhibits the growth of all microbes The alcoholic fermentation is carried out by unusual yeasts, Zygosaccharomyces bailii or bisporus, that are adapted to surviving in environments high in sugars and in acetic acid At the same time that the two fermentations take place, so do the processes of maturation and aging In the end, traditional balsamic vinegar may contain anywhere from 20 to 70% unfermented sugars, about 8% acetic and 4% tartaric, malic, and other nonvolatile acids, an aroma-enhancing 1% alcohol, and up to 12% glycerol, a product of the yeast fermentation that contributes to the velvety viscosity The “condiment” grades of balsamic vinegar are made much more rapidly than the traditional grade, and are far less concentrated and fine-flavored The better mass-produced vinegars include some cooked-down grape must and young balsamic vinegar, and are aged for a year or so Cheap balsamic vinegars are no more than ordinary wine vinegar colored with caramel and sweetened with sugar Sherry Vinegar A style of vinegar that lies somewhere between ordinary wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar is the solera-aged sherry vinegar of Spain This starts from the young sherry wine, which contains no residual sugar Like sherry wines and balsamic vinegars, sherry vinegar is blended with older batches and matured for years or decades in a series of partly-filled barrels The concentration by evaporation, and extended contact with microbes and wood, leave sherry vinegar with high levels of ... years or decades in a series of partly-filled barrels The concentration by evaporation, and extended contact with microbes and wood, leave sherry vinegar with high levels of ...traditional grade, and are far less concentrated and fine-flavored The better mass-produced vinegars include some cooked-down grape must and young balsamic vinegar, and are aged for a year or so... are no more than ordinary wine vinegar colored with caramel and sweetened with sugar Sherry Vinegar A style of vinegar that lies somewhere between ordinary wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar is the solera-aged sherry vinegar of Spain