Lynnikins, I am excited about your white vinegar quest. Frow what I have read, however, white vinegar takes much longer and requires a bit of luck to make a good product. May take 6 months to get the vinegar going good.

My vinegar is now less than 4 weeks old and I tested it yesterday and it is deep red and very strong but excellent taste with absolutely no chemical aftertaste like the commercial stuff i have in my pantry. I added a couple glasses of some flat Barbaresco I had opened a week ago yesterday and I guess I am up to about a half gallen so far. The bacteria that grows and colonizes on the top is a bit disconcerting if you don't know what to expect, but I have seen photos of what it is supposed to look like and I am right on course. It starts with many circular one inch mold looking areas on the top and within a day or so it coalesces into a grey looking membrane. WIthin a couple days it turned red like the vinegar but it is like a colloidal mambrane sort of like the skin on the top of custard or something.

Again, if anyone wants a starter I will send some as soon asit is mature enough to send. The starter consists of about 4 oz of vinegar with a piece of the mother in it.