La Guinelle Vinegar Factory — Chandra Brune

"There's no good vinegar without good wine. And nature, if you let it be, is amazing." — Nathalie Lefort, founder

A house born of passion

It all began nearly twenty-five years ago. Nathalie Lefort placed four barrels at the back of her property, chose an excellent Banyuls wine—because without good wine there can be no good vinegar—and then let nature take its course. After fourteen months of patient waiting, she drew off her first liters. Very quickly, renowned Parisian chefs became interested in using her vinegar in their kitchens. Since 2022, Chandra Brune has taken over the vinegar business, after ten years working alongside Nathalie, with the mission of preserving these traditional production methods.

La Guinelle is the only open-air vinegar factory in Europe, which gives its products a truly unique character.

What is spontaneously fermented vinegar?

Spontaneous fermentation is the beating heart of La Guinelle. Unlike industrial production where laboratory-selected bacteria are introduced to accelerate and standardize the process, here, the wine barrels are patiently left exposed to the air. They wait for nature to take its course, in a purely natural acetic fermentation process, without the addition of bacteria or any artificial intervention.

Acetic bacteria, called acetobacteria, settle on the surface of the wine, consume the alcohol, and transform it into acetic acid. A film then forms on the surface, similar to the flor of oxidative wines. This film gradually thickens over several days until the vinegar is separated and then transferred to glass demijohns, where it matures for many months before being bottled, without filtration.

The originality of this method lies in its outdoor processing. Bacteria that withstand outdoor conditions are the most robust and best suited to guaranteeing a high level of quality. This time-honored process, known as the Orléans method, is the only one used in France to produce the entire range under a natural layer of bacteria.

Limited editions & collaborations The house forms collaborations with exceptional winemakers to transform rare grape varieties into vinegars: Chenin (from Joussets), Riesling (from Christian Binner) or Cabernet (from Domaine Mendall).

Where to find La Guinelle

📍 Production site — Visit & tasting on site La Guinelle — Hameau de Cosprons, 66660 Port-Vendres

🛍️ Shop in the town center, 20 Rue Saint-Sébastien, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer