Is Red Wine Vinegar Halal? Views, Labels and Swaps

Red wine vinegar starts as red wine. Acetic acid bacteria then convert the wine's alcohol into acetic acid, which gives vinegar its sharp taste. The FDA describes wine vinegar as the result of an alcoholic fermentation of grape juice followed by an acetous fermentation ^[1], and it expects finished vinegar to contain at least 4 grams of acetic acid per 100 mL ^[1].

Red wine vinegar is common in vinaigrettes, Mediterranean marinades, pickled onions, and many bottled salad dressings sold in the US.

Every scholar agrees that wine which turns into vinegar on its own is halal ^[2]. Commercial red wine vinegar, though, is made on purpose, and that is where the schools part ways.

• Hanafi scholars say the change from wine to vinegar removes what made it forbidden, so how it happened does not matter. SeekersGuidance cites al-Hidaya for this ^[4], and another SeekersGuidance answer permits vinegar from wines and spirits generally ^[6].
• The more correct Maliki view also permits it ^[3].
• Shafi'i, Hanbali, and some Maliki scholars point to hadiths in which the Prophet refused to let wine be made into vinegar, and they treat deliberately made wine vinegar as impure ^[2].
• Shafi'i scholars look closely at whether anything was added to the wine during fermentation ^[5].

Islam Q&A also quotes Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin as holding that vinegar made by Jews and Christians is halal and pure ^[3].

What about buying it? Even within the stricter view, Islam Q&A notes that a Muslim may buy vinegar from others unless they know it was deliberately made from wine ^[2]. In practice, though, a bottle labeled red wine vinegar tells you it came from wine, and commercial production is a deliberate process. A SeekersGuidance Shafi'i answer acknowledges this difficulty and says there is no harm in adopting the Hanafi position ^[5].

HalalLookup lays out these positions; it does not issue a ruling.

Look for these words on US ingredient lists:

• red wine vinegar
• wine vinegar or grape vinegar
• vinegar (red wine), sometimes listed with flavor or sulfites

Red wine vinegar shows up in Italian and Greek dressings, marinated vegetables, olive mixes, some barbecue sauces, and restaurant vinaigrettes. If you are eating out, ask what vinegar the kitchen uses. For packaged foods, a halal certificate means the certifier has already reviewed the vinegar.

Related: white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and our overview of wine vinegar.

Vinegar not made from wine is outside this debate entirely ^[2]. Good swaps for red wine vinegar:

• Apple cider vinegar: fruity and close in sharpness.
• Rice vinegar: milder; good in dressings.
• Distilled white vinegar with a splash of pomegranate or grape juice for color and fruitiness.
• Lemon juice: works in most vinaigrettes.

For color in pickles or dressings, a little beet juice can stand in for the deep red of the original.