Is Red Wine Vinegar Acidic or Alkaline?
Red wine vinegar (raw) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Red wine vinegar comes in at −3.3 per 100 ml, which makes it alkaline: your metabolism breaks down the acetic acid, while potassium from the wine remains. The sour taste of vinegar says nothing about its effect after it's metabolized. With one tablespoon in the dressing, though, the effect stays small, about −0.5 for the whole salad bowl.
In the Herbs, Spices & Sauces category, red wine vinegar (raw) ranks #41 of 75, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Vanilla bean (−3.3), Table salt (−3.5), Iodized salt (−3.5). More acid-forming are Nutmeg powder (−3.2), Cress (−3.1), Sea salt (−2.0).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is red wine vinegar acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Red wine vinegar (raw) has a PRAL of −3.3 per 100 ml, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much red wine vinegar do I need for a noticeable effect?
A teaspoon (5 g) of red wine vinegar adds −0.2 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of red wine vinegar roughly offsets one of them.
Why is red wine vinegar alkaline even though it tastes sour?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Red wine vinegar provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−3.3).
Red Wine Vinegar logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Herbs, Spices & Sauces: Herbs, Spices & Sauces table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.