All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
It turns out that the world of red wine vinegar is just as vast and varied at the world of red wine. When we settled into our recent taste test to find the best red wine vinegar out there, we had no idea the samples would be so exceedingly different. But that's a good thing, because people have different tastes and preferences—just as they do when selecting a bottle from the wine shop—or grocery shelf. Still, out of the 20 bottles that we popped open, we found a few that everyone could agree on.
Our favorite bottle came from Italian brand Lucini, which is admittedly a bit on the pricier side. Luckily, we found an inexpensive alternative that came in just one point behind the winner. For our methodology and the full list of vinegars we tasted, scroll to the bottom of the page. First up, more on the rankings!
Our Favorite Red Wine Vinegar: Lucini
Lucini Pinot Noir vinegar produced a full-flavored vinaigrette with a sharp bite and mellow sweetness. Best of all, it tasted like wine (like wine that had soured considerably, but like wine nonetheless). The vinaigrette was a pretty, light pink color too—in case that matters to you—while some others turned the color of raspberry cream when emulsified into oil, mustard, and honey and a few more lost their red hue entirely. Here's some nerdy winespeak, in case you're interested: this vinegar hits the palate with high minerality and slate, and reaches the midpoint of the mouth with the flavor of overripe strawberries and a hint of lemon. Read: it's not just tart, it's tasty.
BUY IT: Lucini Italia Pinot Noir Italian Wine Vinegar, $13 for a 250-milliliter bottle on Instacart
The Best Inexpensive Red Wine Vinegar: Roland
Fruitier than Lucini, Roland boast notes of dark-red plums. But don't come here expecting a fruit bowl. Roland is still plenty acidic with balanced overall flavor. It's quite peppery and tastes even more of wine than our winner—and since that winner is six times the price of Roland per ounce, we'd happily reach for this runner-up any time we see it on grocery store shelves.
BUY IT: Roland Red Wine Vinegar, $4 for a 500-milliliter bottle on Mercato
What We Were Looking For
We started our search for the best red wine vinegar like all our searches, at the grocery store. We picked up every bottle of red wine vinegar we could find—including ones that sported more specific labels (Cabernet vinegar, Pinot Noir vinegar, etc.). What we didn't include was anything with additional flavors such as herbs or berries or anything too localized to one region.
The best vinegar had to have balanced acidity and a mellow sweetness, and taste like it had actually been made from wine.
Not all of the contenders did. Several were good, but at best, the bulk were mellow and weak. At worst, descriptors like "notes of Band-aid" and "paint thinner" were hurled about. And then there was my favorite comment of the day: "This one smells like shitty rosé and tastes like it too."
One thing we learned is that if you can't find one of our top two contenders in your local grocery store, at least avoid any bottle that sports neon-pink vinegar. Some of the samples on our roster were practically the color of Easter eggs and these usually had harsh, lackluster flavor. That's not to say that darker is always better. A few of the darkest vinegars were a little too sweet or a little too oaky—many of these vinegars are aged in wood barrels. One such vinegar, O Cabernet Vinegar, was a favorite of Emily Johnson but a bit too woodsy for the rest of us.
How We Tested
We treated our initial vinegar tasting like a wine tasting. But while some tasters chose to sip the vinegars straight (not recommended), most elected to dilute them with a bit of water. Diluting allowed us to make our way through 20 vinegars and to detect the nuances in each without blowing out our palates. Another suggestion if you choose to conduct your own vinegar tasting: have a spit bucket handy. You do not want that many samples of vinegar, even if they're diluted, holding court in your gut.
For the second round of tasting, I made simple vinaigrettes out of the top five, using neutral oil and just enough Dijon and honey to emulsify the dressings together. We dipped gem lettuce leaves and endive in these, and sipped them with spoons in order to choose our ultimate favorite. All tastings were conducted blind by a panel of Epicurious editors and staff.
The Other Vinegars We Tasted
In alphabetical order:
- Alessi Red Wine Vinegar
- Colavita Aged Red Wine Vinegar
- Eden Selected Red Wine Vinegar
- Filippo Berio Red Wine Vinegar
- Goya Red Wine Vinegar
- Heinz Gourmet Red Wine Vinegar
- Holland House Red Wine Vinegar
- Monari Federzoni Red Wine Vinegar
- Napa Valley Naturals Organic Red Wine Vinegar
- O California Cabernet Vinegar
- Pompeian Gourmet Red Wine Vinegar
- Progresso Red Wine Vinegar
- Reese Red Wine Vinegar
- Regina Red Wine Vinegar
- Roland Organic Red Wine Vinegar With the Mother
- Spectrum Organic Red Wine Vinegar
- Star Red Wine Vinegar
- Trader Joes
All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn a small affiliate commission.
