What Are Some Effective Substitutes for White Wine Vinegar?

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Other types of vinegars, wine, lemon juice and lime juice work as effective substitutes for white wine vinegar. To maximize the usefulness of the substitution, select an option that complements the other flavors in the final dish.

For example, if white wine vinegar is called for in a cream-based pasta dish, adding lemon juice or lime juice makes the final dish taste sour. In this case, white vinegar, balsamic vinegar, champagne vinegar or sherry vinegar is a more appropriate white wine vinegar substitution. Sweet or dry white wines would also be appropriate as they better complement the taste of cream-based pasta dishes.

If white wine vinegar is called for in a tossed salad recipe, many more options are available when it comes to replacing this acidic component in the dish. In these instances, choose lime juice or lemon juice to give the finished dish a flavorful kick. For a more mellow acidic incorporation into the dish, a dash of sparkling or non-sparkling white, red wine or rice wine vinegar is appropriate. Fruit vinegars are also excellent substitutions for white wine vinegar as they add subtle fruit overtones to the salads without overpowering the taste of the dish as a whole.