What fine wine and good vinegar have in common

The discovery of the winemaking process apparently coin­cided with that of the vinegar-making process, which is hardly surprising. One of the most important steps in wine­making is limiting exposure of the develop­ing wine to air. Although air is essential to the process while yeast molecules ferment the sugar in grapes, after this step (called alcoho­lic fermentation), exposure to air must be controlled, to prevent the fermented juice from turning sour through the development...