Doctor Vinegar sings praises of sour grapes

IT'S a subject that usually leaves a sour taste in the mouth, but nonetheless Georg-Heinrich Wiedemann - the self-proclaimed 'Dr Vinegar of Europe' - waxed eloquent.

'Nothing can happen in our bodies without vinegar,' uttered Wiedemann with the zeal of a Biblical prophet. 'We produce between 80 and 120 grams of vinegar every day in our bodies which helps keep us healthy.' There was no stopping him as he slipped into preaching mode. 'When it comes to food, vinegar is an elixir that stimulates the appetite, sensitises the taste buds, cleanses the palate and supports the digestion of the meal.' Wiedemann, a lanky German who, with his owl-rimmed spectacles and hair yanked in a pony-tail has the look of a New Age Traveller, knows what he is talking about.

Since he became, as he put it, 'obsessed with vinegar 10 years ago, although I can't explain why', he has visited museums, libraries and universities throughout Germany, gathering information about his passion and storing it in a computer.

Thus, off the top of his head, he can provide the illuminating information that in ancient China - and he is convinced it is a practice still prevalent in some rural parts of the mainland - pregnant women washed and bathed only in vinegar during the 100 days prior to giving birth.

'This was done to destroy the germs or bacteria that might be present in the skin and possibly harm the unborn baby,' explained Wiedemann, adding, 'vinegar is excellent for the skin'.

Wiedemann certainly practices what he preaches. He confessed to bathing every day in vinegar back at his wine-growing estate in Venningen, near Frankfurt - although not, he remarks with a tinge of disappointment, when he is travelling. Vinegar for one's ablutions, alas, is not something easily available as yet in the hotels of the world.

At his wine-growing estate which is, naturally, 'dedicated totally to vinegar', traditional wines are cultivated and then used for the production of his passion.