Our limited production, all natural wine vinegars are made in the traditional Orleans method from grapes grown on our estate vineyard. Current varietals that we produce are Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, Grenache and Chardonnay.

Making wine vinegar in the centuries-old Orleans method is a two step process that takes a minimum of two years to complete. In the first stage, the grapes are hand-picked at the proper level of maturity and sugar to acid ratio, crushed and inoculated in our own estate facility. After primary fermentation is completed, the grapes are pressed and the young wine put in oak barrels for secondary (malolactic) fermentation and ageing in our temperature-controlled wine room.

After about a year, part of the wine is bottled for our own consumption while the rest is placed in half-filled barrels in our barn. They are then inoculated with mother-of-vinegar to start the acetification process. To ensure better air circulation, the barrels usually have at least one more hole drilled in them, apart from the bung hole, and are kept at much higher ambient temperature than is usual for wine.

After another year or so, the vinegar is drawn from the barrels, lightly filtered (a small amount of sediment is normal for natural vinegar), pasteurized for 30 minutes at 155/160 degrees and bottled. It is then aged in the bottle for another three to six months before it is released for sale