Honeyed Wine Vinegar - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons thyme-flavoured honey
1 1/2 cups raisins
5 dried figs, chopped
2 cups sweet red wine, such as greek mavrodaphne
2 cups good-quality red wine vinegar
1 cup good-quality white wine vinegar
1 cup total of different kinds of fresh wood chips, such as pine,oak,maple,apple and walnut (tied in a double-layer of cheesecloth)

Preparation

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the honey, 1 cup of the raisins, half of the chopped figs and the sweet wine.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, stirring from time to time, until reduced to 1 cup.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids, and discard raisins and figs.
Tie the remaining raisins and figs in a piece of cheesecloth.
Combine the flavoured wine with the red and white vinegars in a clean 1 1/2-quart jar.
Add both cheesecloth packages (the dried fruit in one, the wood chips in the other).
Cover and let stand for 3-4 weeks, shaking from time to time.
Discard both cheesecloth packages, pass the vinegar through a dampened coffee filter into a 1-quart bottle and cover tightly.
Honeyed Wine Vinegar will keep for 1 year stored in a cool, dark place.