Upon hearing about these vinegars for the first time back in July, I had assumed I was simply unaware of their existence because I was new to Brussels and/or because I am a complete vinegar novice. Little did I know this was an artisan in the early makings. Whilst I remain a vinegar novice, I was keen to sit down and learn about the work of Vinaigrerie Sainte Odile. Why? These vinegars are produced using some of the finest Belgian lambics from Cantillon and 3 Fonteinen, as well as the ciders of Cidrerie du Condroz. I sat down with owner and entrepreneur, Daphné de Crombrugghe to discuss all things acetic.
Daphné’s entrance into the world of vinegar began on a sombre note. Diagnosed with an eye condition that steadily worsens her vision, Daphné shifted her priorities in life and started to immerse herself in her love for food. She decided she would start by ‘WWOOFing’. Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is a global initiative that connects travellers with organic farmers, allowing individuals to offer farm labour in exchange for accommodation in countries around the world. Location chosen, bags packed, and Daphné was off to Italy.
Here, she was employed on a farm that had its own vineyard and the farmer was crafting his own organic wines. Yes you guessed it, on the farm they were also producing balsamic vinegar. “For 3 months, I was eating 26 year old balsamic vinegar”. It is safe to say, this left a taste in Daphné’s mouth she longed for once returning to Belgium. Around this time, Daphné purchased the Noma Guide to Fermentation, a book published by René Redzepi (head chef and owner of Noma, Copenhagen). Shortly after, she began producing her own vinegars at home.
The watershed moment for Vinaigrerie Sainte Odile came a few years ago when Daphné was made redundant from her job. Upon receiving severance pay, she decided to place all her bottles in the vinegar basket so to speak.
“Nobody was really doing this in Belgium, and we have amazing alcohol producers”.
Daphné’s craft was improving at home, but to launch a successful vinegar business in Brussels she felt she needed to immerse herself in learning. She thus took the decision to travel to France to dive head first into her new project. Arriving in Banyuls-sur-Mer, Daphné not only fell in love with the place, the food, and the culture, but began to fully appreciate the link between high-quality wine and the end-result of high quality vinegar. La Guinelle taught her that defects in the wine will be found in the vinegar, but so too are the elegant taste characteristics of the original alcohol. Daphné was utterly enamoured with this aspect.
Inspired by La Guinelle’s with natural wine makers, Daphné arrived at the idea of utilising lambic beers. Arriving back in Belgium, she connected with Jean van Roy, owner and fourth-generation brewer at Cantillon. With the support for La Guinelle and Cantillon, Daphné felt her new venture had the right backing to be something special.
It is worth noting that Sainte Odile briefly worked with Tilquin for its first batch of vinegar. Thus, with a load of Cantillon Kriek and Tilquin Gueuze in tow, Daphné headed back to France to ferment her first 500 bottles. Vinaigrerie Sainte Odile was formally founded in Brussels in April 2023, marking the release of its inaugural batch for sale. Daphné has subsequently initiated collaborations with 3 Fonteinen and Cidrerie du Condroz to craft her range of four vinegars.
Daphné herself possesses a strong philosophy for what it is to be a sustainable and responsible producer. “99% of balsamic vinegar” Daphné explains, “is produced in a super heavily industrial way with sugars and aromas”. I wrote at the start of this article that I was, and remain, a vinegar novice – but this too is true of most consumers. Not many people understand how vinegar is made, let alone the alcohol that is used for its production and where that alcohol has come from. This drove Daphné to ensure she would always be transparent in her production, never hiding who she was working with and maintaining that the door to her vinegar studio is always open.
Sainte Odile’s vinegars utilise some of the best representations of Belgian alcohol, that is for sure. So there is little cause for concern around transparency here. She knew she would have to work with responsible producers if she were to be this open about her work. But she also knew the quality of the product. Fermenting only by natural means, Daphné produces vinegars that are complex and withhold the aromas of the alcohol used. This is a point of pride for her – differentiating Sainte Odile’s vinegars to those commonly found on the market and produced by accelerating the fermentation process. This not only reflects the passion Daphné has for restoring the reputation of vinegar, but mirrors perfectly the belief system of traditional lambic brewers.
“Redorer son blason”
In fact this philosophy extends beyond vinegar and into the beer world. Though a beer lover, Daphné also expressed frustration with breweries who do not pay enough attention to the ingredients they source, with many beer producers claiming to brew local beers whilst doing very little to ensure they source as locally as possible.
“What’s local besides the water?”
These notions led her to source from the producers she purchases from, with a special nod to 3 Fonteinen in particular. “This is terroir beer”. With an article upcoming on this fantastic brewery, I’ll save the words for then. Cantillon too focuses a lot of attention on organic, nature-based production – typical of traditional lambic brewers. For example, they restrict their spontaneous brewing window to that offered by the colder weather, rather than artificially inducing the desired temperatures. As for Cidrerie du Condroz, their production is intrinsically intertwined with sustainable practices, utilising only old varieties of Belgian apples and fermenting in a traditional manner – meaning these ciders take a minimum of 10 months to be produced. They also work to restore biodiversity in and around their orchards, aiding the reestablishment of Belgian apple varieties.
Daphné is a fervent advocate for preserving the appreciation of lambic in Belgium. Her enthusiasm for culinary cultures and customs was palpable during discussion. Through restorating vinegar’s reputation and reintroducing high-quality vinegars into people’s kitchens, she hopes to also invite a broader audience into the world of lambic. She does not see her products as just utilising the lambic beers, but as part of the story.
Of course, then it was time to taste. Daphné’s vinegars exhibit a remarkable lambic-esque complexity that will tantalise the senses of any beer drinker. I have written once before in this blog that I am far from a vinegar tasting expert, but the flavour profiles offered by Sainte Odile unfold with layers of intricate nuances reminiscent of the beers that come before them. Sitting down with the artisan herself and sampling these vinegars is not just something I appreciate in the present day, but will be a memory I will hold for many years to come – truly sublime. And I am far from the only person to think so. It seems apt to note that during our meeting, the recording for the interview was paused as Daphné’s atelier had a return customer knocking at the door to purchase another bottle. Feeling her project is something special has evidently grown beyond the thoughts of Daphné alone.
This belief in Sainte Odile has led to many other alcohol producers to wish to work with her too. Whilst sampling, I was fortunate enough for Daphné to allow me to taste some vinegars still in the making, including one produced using mead, and another using a perry from Normandy-based, Jérôme Forget.
While this discussion did not centre primarily on environmental sustainability, it’s important not to underestimate the efforts made by these alcohol producers to minimise their ecological impact – these are not environmentally ignorant producers behind Daphné’s work. Beyond that, there is something culturally beautiful in the work Daphné is doing: to help to maintain a Belgian brewing tradition that is intrinsically tied to nature. Daphné believes passionately in the work she is doing, and would not pursue anything in which this desire was not felt. Her vinegars certainly reflect this.
Where can you buy Sainte Odile vinegars?
Daphné’s website details all the points of sale. Interested in an order? Reach out to her at hello@sainteodile.com. Heading to BXL Beer Fest? Daphné will be there too! Pop by and say hi.
Sustainabeerlity 