Definition: Orléans

Orléans vinegar
The ancient origins of vinegar production: the Old and New Testaments tell us that in ancient times, poor people consumed a drink made from vinegar.
In 50 AD, the Latin writer Columella gave details in his work "De Rustica" on the production of vinegar from grapes, figs and dates. However, the Greeks and Romans preferred malted barley vinegar produced in Egypt.
Pliny, a Roman naturalist who lived in the first century AD, mentions in his "Natural History" the use of vinegar to preserve vegetables and fruit and to season food.
Later, the Vikings made vinegar from mead.
In Orléans, the use of vinegar dates back to the Roman occupation. Two legionnaires, Carlux and Plexus, are said to have taught some of the inhabitants of Orléans how to make it from wine and how to prepare a drink called "posca", a mixture of water and vinegar.
However, there are no written records in Orléans until 1394, when Jehan de Folleville, Provost of Merchants, granted the first statutes to the vinegar makers, buffet makers, sauce makers and mustard makers of Orléans. This guild was elevated to a Jurande in 1580 and was responsible for overseeing manufacturing methods and product quality. It brought together vinegar makers and apothecaries, as vinegar was used both as a food and as a remedy.
The vinegar makers of Orléans jealously guarded their own manufacturing secrets and did not publish any documents. In fact, the Orléans method had been used for a long time, without any scientific explanation of the exact role played by the deposit that appears on the wine during the vinegar-making process. In 1777, the king authorised anyone to manufacture and sell vinegar and its derivatives. Due to a decline in quality, the guild was re-established with its rights and privileges and operated until 1791, when the Revolution abolished corporate regimes.
In 1806, the Brotherhood of Vinegar Makers and Merchants of Orléans and the surrounding area was founded. In 1872, it was transformed into the Wine, Spirits and Vinegar Union.

The production of vinegar
This is the result of the acetic fermentation of a low-alcohol liquid, between 5 and 12° (wine, beer, cider, diluted ethyl alcohol solution). Wine left in an open container becomes sour and pungent, and turns into vinegar. At the same time, a viscous film forms on the surface of the liquid. This film is the result of the development of a bacterium, acetic acid bacteria, which is a ferment, the spores of which are carried by the air.
Lavoisier was the first to demonstrate this process, then Chaptal described it in 1807, but it was Persoon who, in 1822, discovered the role of the bacterium as an acetifying agent, which he named mycoderma aceti.
Finally, Pasteur confirmed Persoon's statements during a lecture held at the Institute in Orléans on 1 November 1867.

Composition of vinegar
Vinegar contains 3 to 10% acetic acid, depending on the desired acidity level. It also contains a small amount of acetic aldehyde and ethyl acetate, which give vinegar its pleasant smell and flavour. Other flavoured liquids such as wine, cider and beer also give vinegar its distinctive taste.
There are various methods of producing vinegar, including one specific to Orléans.

The Orléans vinegar production process
This process uses the acetifying properties of Acetobacter aceti, which is normally suspended in the air, and uses "vessels", barrels with a capacity of 225 to 300 litres, arranged horizontally and equipped with a ventilation opening on one of the ends called an "eye".
The process begins with these vessels containing a certain quantity of vinegar1 (approximately 100 litres) previously produced using the Orléans method, i.e. using micoderma aceti, placed in a location heated to a temperature of between 25 and 30°C.
Wine with a certain acid content is added until the vessels are 4/5 full.
After about twenty days, the acetification of the mixture is measured periodically. When this is complete, usually after about 45 days, the vessels contain vinegar. From each of them, 50 to 60 litres are drawn off and replaced with the same quantity of wine, thus starting a new production cycle.
The drawn-off vinegar is then placed in oak casks for several months, where it clarifies by settling, the lees settle at the bottom of the casks, its colour improves and its acridity disappears.
The production process is completed by filtering the vinegar to remove any remaining elements that could cloud it. It can then be labelled as aged vinegar.

Today
Even if the wine was poor, the expertise of the vinegar makers of Orléans, known as the "Orléans process", was renowned on other continents. Today, this "traditional" method has not changed. However, the many vinegar makers have disappeared over time. The only survivor today is master vinegar maker Martin Pouret, whose origins date back to 1797. This dynamic company is now the last guardian of Orléans' expertise. While most industrial vinegars are produced in less than 48 hours by immersing acetic bacteria, at Martin Pouret, carefully selected wine takes three weeks to transform into vinegar in oak barrels called "vessels" before ageing for six months in other barrels. During this ageing process, it develops and refines its aromas and roundness on the palate. To promote and defend the properties of traditional vinegar, Martin Pouret has created a Club des Toqués du Vinaigre d'Orléans (Orléans Vinegar Lovers' Club). The Club's members include dozens of renowned chefs from the world of fine dining.
E-mail: contact@martin-pouret.com