DIY Easy Grape Scrap Vinegar - Under 2 Months

Chelsea Stolte
Sep 17
3 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

What do you do with the scraps from the grape juice or jellies you just made? Grape Scrap Vinegar! Very little can go wrong when following instructions, you should have a perfect fermented, strained vinegar within approximately 45 days (Update 11/10/2025). All you need is sugar, grape scraps, and cider vinegar to get this recipe rolling!

Additional Updates through 11/10/2025 - Bottling Time! - Approximately 2 months

Grape Scrap Vinegar Finished Product - 2 Month(s) Preparation Time

What do you need?

Ingredients:

Grape Skins / Seeds (approx. 2 lbs)
Cleaned Gallon Container
1-2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar to get the fermentation started
1 Cup Sugar
Distilled Water - enough to cover your grape scraps (don't use chlorinated) Approx 2 L
Cheese Cloth
Tape
Scissors
1/2 Gallon Mason Jar
Strainer

Steps to Make Grape Scrap Vinegar:

Transfer fruit scraps to a clean gallon container with top cut off (milk jug works if cleaned)
Mix in distilled water and apple cider vinegar
Stir
Cover and tape down with cheese cloth

How to care for it?

Stir once a day for about 2 weeks
1. If you see fruit flies, odds are the cheesecloth is keeping them out. They won't have any effect on your vinegar.
After 2 weeks remove the solids and pour into a half gallon mason jar, cover with a cheese cloth and continue mixing for another month. (I somehow read a month and there was a note that said don't worry if you forgot to remove the solids) Cover with your cheesecloth again for about a month.
After a month, start taste testing. When the flavor is sour and strong, it is time to screw on a lid and store it! (dip your finger in apple cider vinegar if you need a comparison)
If your mason jar lid tightens like it is about to explode- remove lid and keep the process going for another week to a month. This means covering with cheesecloth again to air out. (update 11.10.2025)

11.10.2025 - Bottling Session:

Steps:

I ordered a set of two bottles off amazon for about 7 bucks. Your dollar store usually has cheap vinegar bottles!

Ready your vinegar bottle - rinse out
Find a funnel (the amazon one I ordered is pictured)
Use a metal sieve with a cheesecloth or mesh bag to catch all the crud (see video)
1. DO NOT THROW OUT THE MOTHER
Funnel it in slowly and put the top on! Notice this is not an airtight container, so if you leave the mother inside the container with it, it will continue to get better with time and will still have minor aeration going on.

Bottling Grape Scrap Vinegar

Where do I use it?

Marinades
Salad Dressings
Pickling
Sauces

Updates through 11/10/2025:

Troubleshooting?

Bugs / Fruit Flies (use a sieve or metal grate to get them out)
Weird Slimy thing floating = the mother (keep it)
You tried to store with a lid and it almost exploded (continue letting it aerate for another two weeks to a month)

Updates through 10/7/2025

Oopsies and Uh Ohs:

Not keeping your cheesecloth tight enough and letting fruit flies in. Don't worry - You can scrape the larvae off and continue or cut the affected chunk of mother off to throw out. It will be ok as long as you keep a hunk of the mother.

Throwing out the mother (wait, what is the mother?) Have you ever seen apple cider vinegar with a label that says "with mother" well, that is the live culture of bacteria that is forming your delicious vinegar. In this case it will probably be a gel like layer on the top or maybe floating around inside your jar. Mine looked pink and fleshy. I actually got in in all my jars so I condensed them.
Strain frequently so you have less and less crud in the bottom and you end up with a pure vinegar and minimal scraps.
Taste test the vinegar - when it starts being less sugary and more "vinegarry" yes... vinegarry is a word today.. then you are ready to roll!