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.
Golden Apple Balsamic Golden Delicious apples are harvested at the peak of their ripeness on the Harmer Estate in Stripfing (ca. 25 km north-east of Vienna). They are then sorted out, carefully pressed and delivered to the Wiener Essig Brauerei. After the juice is simmered at a considerable temperature for several days, the flavours 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. Gegenbauer leaves the barrels 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 (lasting five years at least) and the vinegar becomes more condensed. What is unique about this vinegar is its mild acidity, large concentration of fructose, and a great deal of fruit aroma. Gegenbauer calls it “the elegant one”.
A wonderful vinegar to finish foods, with a tart-sweet apple taste this vinegar is perfect for roast pork, pot beans, chutneys or reductions. Try it over cold, cooked, sliced beef with onions and oil, over beef carpaccio, on fresh apple or pineapple slices with course ground pepper, sea salt, and a fruity extra virgin olive oil.
