"The traditional Orleans Method mixes...aged vinegars over months-akin to making sourdough bread with starter-whereas using a generator to run wine and air through bacteria-inoculated wood shavings makes vinegar in just a few days. There is also an acetator, which forces air into a sealed tank to convert wine to vinegar in one day, and if wine sat in oak barrels before being converted in an acetator, it could still be labeled oak-barrel aged."
Cynthia Wollman, S F Chronicle,
May 30, 2003

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Vinegar
House!

Later down the road as we created those ingredients, our mission became simple: to produce genuine and authentic foods with integrity and in a traditional manner that nurtures the soul and satisfies the palate.

A few years ago we ventured out to make vinegar in the centuries-old Orleans Method, first perfected in France. Most vinegar today is produced by a system that takes just hours, but removes most of the taste and the nutrients. In contrast, authentic vinegar is converted slowly over many months and gently from quality wines with the starter (called the “mother”) in oak barrels. This is the way we do it in our Suisun Valley Vinegar House, and the result is a startlingly rich elixir with fine balance and subtle complexity. Our vinegars are used everyday in some of the best restaurant kitchens in America.

KATZ VINEGARS SELECTED FOR SLOW FOOD ARK OF TASTE
“Saving Cherished Slow Foods, One Product at a Time”

Orleans Method Wine Vinegar "Though scientific advances have made large-scale production of vinegars fast and easy, it is the handcrafted Orleans Method that allows for the most full-bodied and nutrient-rich wine vinegars. Unlike most modern vinegar making, which is based on rapid, forced fermentation, the Orleans Method requires the vinegar to age for months in small oak barrels. As a consequence of this extensive process, very little commercial vinegar exists in the US." Slow Foods Ark of Taste

	KATZ Trio Red Wine Vinegar “Trio” is crafted to mirror the classic Meritage wines where small lots of red wine varietals are blended to create wines with great structure and character. Trio vinegar is made this way by blending selected lots of Merlot, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finished vinegar has a lovely garnet color with nuances in the flavor of sweet ripe berries. Quantities are limited.
	Champagne Barrel-Aged Vinegar KATZ Champagne vinegar, with its pristine clarity, is reflective of its California sparkling wine roots. It is made from 95% Suisun Valley, California Chardonnay and a 5% mix of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Its desirable acidity level of 6%, creates a tart, full-bodied vinegar with “soft” edges and a fruity aroma. Offering crisp and pleasant acidity, hints of vanilla from the oak and subtle nuances of melon and cucumber in the finish, its clean taste lends itself to a myriad of culinary uses.
Champagne vinegar is perfect for mignonette for shellfish; or to make a dressing with KATZ Meyer Lemon Olive oil to enhance a simple romaine, avocado and shrimp salad; or with pomegranate seeds, watercress and oranges with a light vinaigrette; or splash on a roasted potato salad with some thinly sliced fennel and shavings of dry-jack cheese. Enjoy!