Editing Vinegar (section)

=== Spirits ===
[[File:Sherryvinegar.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sherry vinegar]]]]
The term "spirit vinegar" is sometimes reserved for the stronger variety (5% to 24%<ref>{{citation |asin=B072ZYZQHQ |title=Perstorps 24% Acetic Vinegar 300ml }}</ref> acetic acid) made from sugar cane or chemically produced acetic acid.<ref name="sinclair" /> To be called "spirit vinegar", the product must come from an agricultural source and must be made by "double fermentation". The first fermentation is sugar to alcohol, and the second is alcohol to acetic acid. Products made from synthetically produced acetic acid cannot be called "vinegar" in the UK, where the term allowed is "[[non-brewed condiment]]".

[[Sherry vinegar]] is linked to the production of [[sherry]] wines of [[Jerez]]. Dark mahogany in color, it is made exclusively from the acetic fermentation of wines. It is concentrated and has generous aromas, including a note of wood, ideal for vinaigrettes and flavoring various foods.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clutton |first1=Angela |title=The Vinegar Cupboard: Winner of the Fortnum & Mason Debut Cookery Book Award |date=2019 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4729-5809-9 |oclc=1100963349 }}{{pn|date=February 2024}}</ref> '''Wine vinegar''' is made from red or white wine, and is the most commonly used vinegar in [[Southern Europe|Southern]] and [[Central Europe]], [[Cyprus]], and [[Israel]]. As with wine, the range in quality is considerable. Better-quality wine vinegars are matured in wood for up to two years, and exhibit a complex, mellow flavor. Wine vinegar tends to have a lower acidity than white or cider vinegar. More expensive wine vinegars are made from individual varieties of wine, such as champagne, sherry, or pinot gris.

The term "distilled vinegar" as used in the United States (called "spirit vinegar" in the UK, "white vinegar" in Canada<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/labelling/food-labelling-for-industry/list-of-ingredients-and-allergens/eng/1383612857522/1383612932341?chap=1|title=List of Ingredients and Allergens: Requirements; Exemptions, Prepackaged Products that Do Not Require a List of Ingredients; Standardized vinegars B.01.008(2)(g), FDR|publisher=Canadian Food Inspection Agency|date=29 July 2016|access-date=20 April 2017|archive-date=21 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421093214/http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/labelling/food-labelling-for-industry/list-of-ingredients-and-allergens/eng/1383612857522/1383612932341?chap=1|url-status=live}}</ref>) is something of a misnomer because it is not produced by distillation, but by fermentation of distilled alcohol. The fermentate is diluted to produce a colorless solution of 5 to 8% acetic acid in water, with a pH of about 2.6. This is variously known as distilled spirit, "virgin" vinegar,<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/S0065-2164(08)70125-4 |chapter=Newer Developments in Vinegar Manufacture |title=Advances in Applied Microbiology |date=1960 |last1=Allgeier |first1=Rudolph J. |last2=Hildebrandt |first2=Frank M. |volume=2 |pages=163–182 |pmid=13682571 |isbn=978-0-12-002602-9 }}</ref> or white vinegar, and is used in cooking, baking, meat preservation, and [[pickling]], as well as for medicinal, laboratory, and cleaning purposes.<ref name="sinclair">Sinclair C, ''International Dictionary of Food and Cooking'', Peter Collin Publishing, 1998 {{ISBN|0-948549-87-4}}{{Page needed|date=September 2010}}</ref> The most common starting material in some regions, because of its low cost, is barley [[malt]],<ref name="ind">{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/food-bliss-and-vinegar-why-malt-makes-a-pretty-pickle-its-time-for-a-revival-of-a-very-british-1541895.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220817/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/food-bliss-and-vinegar-why-malt-makes-a-pretty-pickle-its-time-for-a-revival-of-a-very-british-1541895.html |archive-date=17 August 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title=Bliss and vinegar - why malt makes a pretty pickle: It's time for a revival of a very British condiment | publisher=The Independent, Independent Digital News & Media, London, UK | author= Bateman, Michael|date=2 May 2016 | access-date=2 September 2016}}</ref> or in the United States, corn. It is sometimes derived from petroleum.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074550.htm |title=CPG Sec. 555.100 Alcohol; Use of Synthetic Alcohol in Foods |publisher=Fda.gov |date=2014-09-18 |access-date=2015-01-03 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422125429/https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074550.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Distilled vinegar is used predominantly for cooking, although in the UK it is used as an alternative to brown or light malt vinegar. White distilled vinegar can also be used for cleaning, and some types are sold specifically for this purpose.