Gegenbauer During antiquity, alcoholic liquids commonly turned to vinegar after a period of storage. But the ancients drank the vinegar as well: we know that 4,000 years ago, sour beer was consumed in Mesopotamia. Later, the Romans enjoyed a sour-tasting drink called posca, a mixture of vinegar and water that was enjoyed until the 20th century as a thirst-quencher and energizer. The Romans made vinegar of figs, grapes and special cereals (vinegar can be made from any fruit, grain or honey). Old writings mention that vinegar brewing was a secretive profession and today; many vinegar producers still keep their methods secret.
Brauerei Gegenbauer was founded in 1929, largely producing sauerkraut, gherkins and other vegetables preserved by vinegar. During the hard post-war years, problems with vinegar deliveries led the company to produce its own vinegar. About 20 years ago, Erwin M. Gegenbauer, Jr., grandson of the founder and a wine connoisseur, developed a passion for making fine fruit vinegars; that became an obsession to create the highest-quality vinegars on earth. The vinegars are made like fine wine; pure, all-natural fruit juice is pressed from the finest fruit and brought to alcoholic fermentation with cultured yeast. During the fermentation and maturing period, the wine is constantly monitored for both temperature and oxygen supply to create optimal living conditions for the bacteria. After the fermentation, the vinegar is stored in glass carboys (large bottles with short, narrow necks, usually encased in basketwork or a wooden box) until it is ready to be slowly matured in small oak barrels, where the sediment is removed several times over a five year period. This meticulous artisan production results in the highest quality vinegars.
Balsam H 250ml The elderberries were harvested ca. 20 km south of Vienna, at the peak of their ripeness, had their stems removed, were pressed only by their own weight (“strain must”), and the juice was delivered to the Gegenbauer vinegar brewery. After the juice is simmered at a considerable temperature for several days, the flavors and the fruit sugar become concentrated. The juice is then filled into barrels and brought to an alcoholic fermentation. When the desired alcohol level has been reached, they air the derived wine and inject it with pure cultured vinegar bacteria (mother-of-vinegar). After the fermentation process, the young vinegar will mature in oak barrels. The barrels are left to the weather, so that the vinegar can “work” with the seasons. During wintertime, a kind of hibernation takes place, and in summer, due to hot temperatures, liquid can evaporate through the wood’s pores, whereby the volume decreases from year to year and the vinegar becomes “mollified”.
A wonderful vinegar to finish foods or for cheese plates, the semi-thick vinegar is made with elderberry juice and has a semi-tart, pronounced elderberry flavor. Perfect with buttery triple cream cheeses or drizzled over seared duck breast, on fresh apple slices or peach wedges with course ground pepper, sea salt, and a fruity extra virgin olive oil.
