In 1906, Claudio Ellena came to America from Italy to start a vineyard on the sunny slopes of the Sierra Madre Mountains in the area of Etiwanda, California. His son John B. Ellena started the Regina Grape Products Co. in 1949 using the vineyards to produce the grapes to his specifications. The name “Regina,” meaning “queen” in Italian, was used to celebrate Ellena’s heritage and to portray the distinguished quality of his grapes.

Today, Regina’s Wine Vinegars, Balsamic Vinegars and Cooking Wines can be found in supermarkets and mass merchandisers across the United States.

Regina is America’s #1 selling wine vinegar brand! Endorsed by the American Culinary Federation, Regina’s line of products includes wine vinegars, balsamic vinegars and cooking wines. Regina Wine Vinegars are made from a unique blend of wines fermented from select, premium quality grapes. The result is a wine vinegar with a more complex taste than other brands. Regina’s Balsamic Vinegars are made from 100% balsamic vinegar imported form Modena, Italy. Aged in wood for over 6 years, Regina’s Balsamic Vinegar is “6 Star” quality; higher than the standard commercial grade of “4 Star.”

Regina’s Wine and Balsamic Vinegars are packaged in unique Chianti-shaped bottles, which feature a consumer-preferred shaker top for easier use than competing brands. Naturally fat free, low in calories, containing zero carbohydrates per serving and no artificial colors, Regina’s products are perfect for a healthy diet. Regina Wine Vinegars are an excellent complement to meats, poultry and fish, and a superb flavor enhancer for salads, marinades, dressings and soups. When you use Regina, meals are always in good taste.


What’s the secret of truly great cuisine? For professional chefs and gourmets alike, one of the most important “secrets” is cooking with wine. Fine cooking wines add a subtle, elegant flavor to everything from meats, poultry and fish, to stews, marinades, sauces, dressings and bastes. Regina Cooking Wines are the first choice of professional chefs because they offer excellent consistency, assuring the quality of results their great dishes demand.


The word vinegar comes from the French word “vinaigre” which means sour wine. Currently it embraces all similar liquids where alcohol is turned into acetic acid.


Wine vinegar is the result of two separate fermentations. First, a large cylinder-shaped device removes the stems of choice varieties of grapes. During this process the device breaks the grape skins and frees the rich juice. Next, the crushed grape pulp and juice (called must) are pumped into large fermenting vats. Here the grape sugar is transformed by natural grape-yeasts into carbon dioxide gas and wine alcohol. The gas escapes by bubbling continuously, and soon all the juice is fermented into wine alcohol.

In the second fermentation, acetic bacteria is added to the wine. The acetic bacteria causes a new chemical change, drawing oxygen from the air and uniting it with the alcohol of the wine. Finally, all the alcohol has been converted to acetic acid, the substance that gives vinegar its pleasant sharpness. All that remains of the wine is its appetizing flavor and bouquet. It is then bottled for market.

Wine vinegars are mainly used as flavorings or to add acidity or tartness to a recipe. They can be used in salad dressings and marinades, or to sharpen and bring out flavors in foods that are too bland or too sweet.


The Italian name “balsamic” draws from the aromatic quality of the vinegar, typically imported from Modena, Italy. The process of making balsamic vinegar begins with gently crushing Trebbiano grapes and boiling their juice very slowly in copper pots until it is reduced to a thick syrup. Next, the sweet, thick syrup (must) is fermented once by yeast to make alcohol and fermented again by the “madre” culture. The syrup is then poured into wooden barrels to begin the aging process. As the volume decreases through evaporation over the years, the maturing liquor is transferred into smaller and smaller casks, each with its special blend of aromatic flavoring woods. Only the highest quality balsamic vinegars are aged in barrels, typically made from scented woods such as oak, chestnut, locust and cherry.

While balsamic vinegar is most commonly used in vinaigrettes and marinades, it has additional applications such as a splash on fresh fruit or ice cream.


Cooking wine is essentially table wine with salt added. In accordance with the federal standards for the classification of cooking wines, they must have a minimum of 1.5% salt. Inclusion of salt makes the wine non-potable and allows it to be sold in standard grocery stores. It also increases the product’s shelf-life to two years.

Cooking wines are mainly used in recipes as flavorings. All the alcohol and most of the flavor evaporates quickly during cooking. To prevent this, cooking wine is usually added at the end of the cooking process.