One of the first things I learned after my celiac diagnosis iwas that vinegar was taboo,  thus outlawing almost all salad dressing, most bands of mayonnaise, and virtually anything that was marinated or covered with barbeque sauce. Fortunately, recent research paints a much brighter picture. A statement by the Gluten Intolerance Groups of Utah summarizes the situation well:

• “In the past, distilled vinegar (or white vinegar) has been listed as unsafe for people with celiac disease by the major organizations in the United States, but not by organizations in any other countries.  This position changed in 2001.  The Gluten Intolerance Group® and the Celiac Disease Foundation now state that all vinegar (except malt vinegar) is safe for people with celiac disease to consume.  The American Dietetic Association has also stated…that  distilled vinegar is gluten free.

The key discovery was that the distillation process removes the gluten-toxic proteins, meaning that malt vinegar is outlawed (since it is not distilled) but that other types of vinegar are fine. The only mild dissent comes from the Celiac Sprue Association. They have a point, since their “Low Gluten Foods to Avoid” list addresses newly-diagnosed celiacs who should be extra careful.

The links above are for those who like to read more about this issue. If you need more information, consider these articles from Gluten Free Living magazine and Celiac.com.