Craft vinegar made in the Catskills

Our Project

The Center for Discovery, a residential facility in upstate New York, is nationally known for the advanced care it provides people with complex conditions. Care for us is holistic, involving every aspect of a person’s life, and our priorities are reflected in our programming. Each activity—therapeutic, educational, or nutritional—is designed to enrich the lives of our residents and students in a specific way. The latest example of The Center’s innovative approach to care is ACETAIA del SOLE, our campus craft-vinegar workshop.

Nestled within Thanksgiving Farm @thecenterfordiscovery, ACETAIA del SOLE provides meaningful work and learning opportunities for our residents and students through the art of vinegar making. Under the guidance of staff therapists and educators and master-vinegar makers, small groups participate in creating exceptional vinegars, helping to harvest the organic fruit and herbs used in making the vinegars and to process and to bottle the final, delicious product. In these sessions, residents and students develop fine motor skills, learn collaboration, and enjoy the satisfaction of completing complex tasks.

The Center’s residents and students have been integral to the success of ACETAIA del SOLE, which has won multiple awards for its extraordinary finishing vinegars. What sets ACETAIA del SOLE vinegars apart first and foremost are the high-quality ingredients—apples grown in The Center’s biodynamic orchards, maple syrup from its woodlands, and herbs from its Healing Garden—each of which contributes to the unique character of the vinegars.

Equally important is ACETAIA’S process. The workshop follows the ancestral method, the slowest of all vinegar techniques. Unlike large commercial operators who rush production, ACETAIA ferments its vinegars for at least nine months, then ages them in a succession of wood barrels--including white oak, cherry, chestnut, juniper--for a year or more. This unhurried approach allows our vinegars to naturally develop deep, complex flavors, enhancing their qualities and health benefits.

ACETAIA del SOLE is more than a craft-vinegar workshop; it's a celebration of community, tradition, and the extraordinary flavors that come from patience and passion. We are proud to collaborate with Dr. Andrea Bezzecchi, who brings invaluable expertise to this project, and Chef Cesare Casella, who founded this inspiring project.

All proceeds support The Center’s Farm Program.