They are historically interesting because they oxidize ethanol to acetic acid, which as we know, is vinegar. Vinegar production is over 6000 years old, and in the Babylonian kitchen it would often be fermented with raisins or dates to make the drink-of-choice for those times. Later, as wine production would yield a better tasting drink with a higher alcohol content, the vinegar drinks of years past were left to be drunk by slaves, peasants, and soldiers, leaving the more prestigious wines for the home or for seasonal festivities. However, a slight bit of G. oxydans finding its way from the grape-skin into the fermenting wine was important because it could spoil the wine by producing acetic acid (acetaldehydes) which would overpower the natural aroma or bouquet. Most wines should peak around 5 to 10 years past vintage, but if G. oxydans managed to thrive for even a little bit in the anaerobic environment then that wine would be spoiled. As important as bouquet is in wine, several other notable conclusions were made regarding wine and vinegar production: