Two strains of the gram-negative acetic acid bacteria, Acetobacter sp. strain CS2- AND CS5, were isolated form the traditional raw rice wine vinegar of Haenam area. The strains oxidized ethanol to acetic acid and over-oxidized acetate and lactate to $CO^{2}$ and $H ^{2}$O. They produced 2-ketogluconic acid from glucose but did not produce .gamma.-pyrones from glucose and dihydroxyacetone from glycerol. The CS strains possessed ubiquinone-9 as a major isoprenoid quinone and contained straight-chain $C_{18 :1}$, $_C{16 : 0}$, and $C _{14 : 0}$ fatty acids. The DNA base composition of the CS2 and CS5 strains was 56.2 and 57.3 mole% G + C, respectively. The isolates were grown well on methanol, gluconate, erythritol, raffinose, dulcitol and xylitol as sole sources of carbon and energy which are different from those of other Acetobacter species and producedd acid from sucrose, glycerol, fructose, inositol, mannitol, and ribose.