Can I use distilled white vinegar instead of white wine vinegar when making my own dressing for gifts?
The flavors are very different -- white wine vinegar is made from white wine, while white vinegar is made from a distilled spirit.

If you had to substitute white wine vinegar, I'd go with one of the following:


champagne vinegar (made from sparking wine; tends to be more mild than white wine vinegar)
rice vinegar (tends to be more mild / lower acid)
cider vinegar (more acidic, but has some sweeter notes that help balance it out)