What is "Mother"? in red wine vinegar?!
Answers: Well OK I know it forms from the vinegar but what is it and why does it do that? And I know it's harmless, but it looks like a gob of raw liver floating around in the bottle...yuck!
The "Mother" of vinegar, including Red Wine Vinegar, is a symbiotic relationship between yeast and bacteria. In a sugary liquid a yeast metabolizes the sugar; the waste is alcohol. This is how wine, beer, liquors are made. Then a bacteria, Acerbacter, metabolizes the alcohol; the waste is acetic acid. Vinegar, by definition, is a blend of water and acetic acid. By USA Federal law, the term vinegar can only be applied to products where the ascetic acid is from a natural fermentation process. Up until about half a century or so ago, the ascetic acid could be derived from oil or coal processes.
like a sediment .... its normal
Mother of vinegar is a slime composed of a form of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria that develops on fermenting alcoholic liquids, which turns alcohol into acetic acid with the help of oxygen from the air. It is added to wine, cider, or other alcoholic liquids to produce vinegar.
Mother of vinegar can also form in store-bought vinegar if there is some non-fermented sugar and/or alcohol contained in the vinegar. While not appetizing in appearance, mother of vinegar is completely harmless and vinegar does not have to be discarded because of it. It can be filtered out using a coffee filter, or simply left in and ignored.
Mother of vinegar is a slime composed of a form of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria that develops on fermenting alcoholic liquids, which turns alcohol into acetic acid with the help of oxygen from the air. It is added to wine, cider, or other alcoholic liquids to produce vinegar.
Notice how number 2 and 3 are similar? They wikipedia'd the answer, which is fine, but they should cite their sources.
You got some technical answers so just strain it out and enjoy the rest of the vinegar.