Vinegars with a taste of success

Vinegar and aged condiment producer Wild Mother Tasmania was awarded a Champion Medal for its Raspberry Shrub in the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show last week, a national competition discovering Australia’s best fine food producers. 

Wild Mother won an extraordinary 10 medals all up – one champion, two gold, two silver and five bronze. Every product entered won a medal.

Wild Mother Tasmania makes small batch vinegars, tonics and barrel aged condiments from quality cool climate fruits in Tasmania’s Huon Valley.

Founder and Vinegar Maker Dr Tim Jones said, “We are proud to be part of the Tasmanian artisan community who continue to punch above their weight on the national stage. These show results, so early in the life of our business, help to cement that reputation.”

An essential part of the business is repurposing food destined for the waste stream and transforming it into premium quality product.

“Hundreds of tonnes of high quality, cool climate Tasmanian fruit goes to waste each year because of some type of ‘imperfection or its distance from market,” Mr Jones said. 

“We are passionate about reducing food waste and have structured our business to utilise this fruit wherever we can. 

Being based in the heart of the Huon valley, where everything is so close, means we can process apples, cherries and berries when they are super fresh, shortly after being picked and graded. 

This way we maximise the health benefits and flavours while contributing to a circular economy.”

Mr Jones was one of Australia’s most awarded cider makers while at Willie Smith’s Tasmanian Cider before leaving to fulfill his long-held dream of establishing a dedicated vinegar business. 

The Champion, awarded to Raspberry Shrub is a zero-alcohol aperitif syrup which combines the vibrancy of Derwent Valley raspberries, subtlety of white tea and tart complexity of organic apple cider vinegar. 

The award-winning Black Cherry Vincotto is a sticky rich condiment made from fresh black cherries. It is pressed and cooked with live mother added and then aged for 16 months. 

Wild Mother said the Black Cherry Vincotto is the holy grail of waste reuse, creating a premium product using fruit that would otherwise be binned.

“Having worked in alcohol I was inspired to move to something more genuinely nourishing that improves people’s health and wellness,” Mr Jones said.

“Our vinegars are unfiltered and unpasteurised, no colouring, preservatives or imported concentrates are added, and they are bottled without dilution. This simple approach maintains the flavour profiles, and health-giving properties of the fruit.”