Cider Vinegars

Cider vinegar is made from a base of yeast-fermented apple juice. It therefore includes some of the characteristic aroma components of apples, and others that are especially accentuated in apple fermentation; these include the volatile phenols that give animal and stable aromas to grape wines (ethyl guaiacol and ethyl phenol). Apples are rich in malic acid, so cider vinegars undergo a malolactic fermentation that may augment aroma while softening acidity. Thanks to its pulp and tannin content, cider vinegar often becomes cloudy with tannin-protein complexes.