Tomato Vinegar – 500 ml

Tomato vinegar in a half-liter bottle. Gölles for salad season, large families and professional kitchens.

Tomato vinegar in a half-liter bottle is the pantry staple of Gölles' Styrian fruit vinegar, made from freshly pressed tomatoes. For households where tomato salad is a daily staple. No tomato ketchup, no flavored vinegar, no balsamic.

Tomato vinegar is a fruit vinegar from Riegersburg, made from the juice of ripe tomatoes, retaining their authentic aroma. In midsummer, when tomatoes in the garden ripen faster than you can eat them, this bottle sits on the table every day. Once you have seasoned tomato slices with tomato vinegar, you often want no other vinegar for them. This half-liter is made for such kitchens.

The taste of tomatoes on the vine

In the glass, the tomato vinegar reveals itself as fruity, with a clear acidity of five percent and an intense tomato aroma. Gölles attributes this aroma to the Styrian tomatoes from which the vinegar is made.

The fruit evokes sun-warmed tomatoes, not pulp or ketchup. Anyone expecting the sweetness of ketchup will find it too tart. It is robust enough to stand out in a tomato sauce, but not so overpowering that it crowds out basil or oregano.

It is less suitable for delicate fish dishes or light sauces, as its tomato character defines every dish. A white wine vinegar serves better there.

Quantities for buffets, barbecues and pickling days

The manufacturer recommends tomato salad, mozzarella, tomato sauce, tomato soup, arugula and Mediterranean cuisine. To complement it, he recommends olive oil, thistle oil or pumpkin seed oil.

For a buffet with 12 people, mix 6 tbsp of tomato vinegar with 150 ml of olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano to make a marinade. This is enough for about 2 kg of tomatoes or a large pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes. A panzanella with stale white bread, cucumber and red onions needs a little more, around 4 tbsp per kilo.

When making homemade ketchup, tomato vinegar replaces the usual distilled vinegar and enhances the tomato flavor. Allow about 80 ml for 2 kg of tomatoes. A large pot of ratatouille also gets a dash at the end. A glass of tomato juice with pepper, celery salt and a teaspoon of tomato vinegar becomes an alcohol-free Virgin Mary.

For restaurants with a lunch menu, a homemade vinaigrette worth keeping in stock is worth the effort: shake 200 ml of tomato vinegar, 600 ml of olive oil, 1 tbsp of mustard, salt and pepper in a screw-top jar. Kept refrigerated, it lasts several days and pairs well with leafy salads, beans and grilled vegetables.

Our tip: Anyone who wants to try the vinegar for the first time should start with the 250 ml trial size. For restaurants and heavy users, the half-liter is the more practical size, as it needs to be reordered less often.

An idea from 2003 in Styria

According to the company chronicle, Gölles first produced tomato vinegar directly from fresh tomatoes in 2003 and recorded it as a novelty of the house. This was preceded by experiments with fruit vinegars from 1994 and the establishment of a creative vinegar line in 1996. Both were initiated by Alois Gölles, trained at the Higher Federal School of Viticulture and Pomology in Klosterneuburg.

The production follows the same process as all the house's vinegars. From the tomato juice, a fruit wine is initially created through natural fermentation. The added mother of vinegar converts its alcohol into acetic acid in contact with air. This step requires time, oxygen and a constant temperature.

The tomato vinegar is stored for at least one year in stainless steel, which gives off no woody notes. It does not need preservatives; the acidity itself keeps it shelf-stable.

A pantry staple that does not spoil

Unopened, vinegar lasts practically indefinitely, so the half-liter is no risk to the pantry. It does not spoil after opening either; at most, the aroma changes over time. If you use it over a long period, keep the bottle in the refrigerator a little longer. Because of its acidity, vinegar does not legally require a best-before date.

A light sediment may form over time. This is fresh mother of vinegar, harmless and easy to strain off. The large bottle is suitable as a gift for gardeners with tomato beds and for anyone who likes cooking for many guests in summer.

A half-liter of tomato vinegar in the pantry, and the next tomato summer can be as bountiful as it likes.