Visit Vinegar Caves in Germany

Dr. Tornoff Estate, George Vietman's family makes vinegars using fine wine, herbs, fruit, and a century-old bacteria

We walk among 80 to 120-year-old oak barrels, where vinegars are aged for 1 to 15 years

It smells really good in here. I actually really like vinegar. Some friends of mine think it's weird, but I like vinegar

Yeah, vinegar has a wonderful smell. Now, why are the robes? Does that tie into the history

It's a part of the history, because in the middle-aged time, we had a lot of diseases here in our region

For example, Blake. The doctors in this time, they used the same color of robes

and they had the hot-up and a mask in front of the face with a long nose

There was a drawer under the nose, and inside they'd placed sweet and strong-smelling substances

Like roses, dried herbs and vinegar, concoctions meant to be inhaled to protect against the plague

at a time when bad smells were thought to be the cause of some diseases. While not true, throughout time, vinegar has been used not only for its taste, but its health benefits

George, how much vinegar are you consuming? I drink every day vinegar

I have to taste it every day. If we fill every day in bottles, we make it all by hand

maybe half a little that day. So you're a vinegar connoisseur? I a vinegar connoisse of course I in Georgia expert hands for my vinegar tasting He starts me out with a fig vinegar that been aged for over 10 years and that used as an aperitif

Ooh. Oh, I love that one. That's great. Full smoothly. A little bit sweet

A little bit sour. A little bit sour. I love fig spread too

This is a great vinegar. You have sweetness in your mouth and a little bit sourness

No alcohol. So it's wonderful. You drink it before you eat. something good food. Before goat cheese. Good cheese, for example. That's a winner. Who knew

drinking straight up vinegar could be so tasty? The next vinegar we try is named after an

angel that George believes has been looking after his family for generations. To the

generations of vinegar people in your family. Ooh, cherries. Definitely tastes the cherries. Dark, very dark. We added here. We added here

wild cherries and sour shiris, apricots and valetar sticks. These are almost like a dessert, but not

Yeah, you can use it as a dessert, you can drink it as a dessert, you can use it by ice

If you have a wonderful ice cream, maybe you put it over the ice cream. Or you can use it if you drink a sparkling wine, for example

and you put a little bit in sparkling wine, it's wonderful tasting. Well, you're showing me a world of vinegar I didn't even know existed before

so I think I'll be having a lot more vinegar once I hit the state. again

Oh, good. How you could try. So back in the USA, I won't just be having vinegar on my salad

especially not vinegar I purchase from George