Aged balsamic vinegar has taken root in the gourmet world after centiries of obscurity. This viscous, sweet and sour brown vinegar that hails from the Modena-Reggio region of Italy is a featured attraction at trendy restaurants, in gourmet food periodicals, and on supermarket shelves across the globe.

Most people, however, would be surprised to learn that they have never tasted real authentic balsamic vinegar.
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Balsamic vinegar is today used in numerous recipes all over the world. The tangy sweet and sour flavor of balsamic vinegar gives a marvelous finish to gourmet delicacies. Having its origins in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, balsamic vinegar has found its way into the smallest of home-kitchens as well as the trendiest of restaurants. One finds the shelves of supermarkets stocked with various brands of balsamic vinegar each claiming their own superiority. An average customer is unaware of the fact that authentic balsamic vinegar is very difficult to come by. Most of the commercial varieties available in the markets are manipulated versions or imitations. It would therefore not be surprising if we say that most people have not even tasted authentic balsamic vinegar.

Thirty years ago true balsamic vinegar, (or in Italian) “aceto balsamico tradizionale,” was relatively unknown outside of villas of Italy. Till this time, its production was restricted to the wealthy families in the small towns of Modena and Reggio in the Emilia-Romagna region, just west of Bologna. They had been making the condiment for nearly a thousand years but catering only to the requirements within the family. They would stock supplies for several years and pass on to the next generation as heirlooms. It was also a prestigious gift given in small vessels to close friends or bequeathed to daughters as a portion of their wedding dowry.
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Authentic balsamic vinegar has an interesting cultural and culinary history, steeped in superstition, legend and politics. Balsamic vinegar derives its name from the word “balm” which is derived from the Latin “balsamum” and refers to something that is aromatic and has soothing and healing properties. Balsamic vinegar too, had been known for its curative and health promoting properties.

The process of production of balsamic vinegar as we know it today took ages to develop. In the ancient times the Romans boiled grape juice and reduced it to a sweet condiment called “sapa”. The making of refined wood-aged vinegars in Emilia-Romagna has been traced back to the 11th century when it was a domain ruled by the Este family. In the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, the ruling class relished these vinegars as a sophisticated drink, which they believed to be a remedy for the plague.

Eventually by the 18th century, when the Este family moved its dominion from Ferrara to Modena, the term balsamico came into use. It was exclusively used to refer to the vinegars aged in wood and produced locally. By the 19th century, balsamico had reached a commodity status. Dignitaries and Heads of states from Paris to Moscow knew Archduke Francesco IV of Modena for his aceto del duca, which he presented as a symbol and token of friendship. When his son was ousted and the Este family reign came to an end, he supposedly managed to escape with seed-stock supplies of the beloved gourmet elixir.
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Then came a period of obscurity for aceto balsamico.

At this time, not only had people across the globe forgotten all about aceto balsamico it even eluded most Italians. The few who knew carried on the tradition in a very secretive manner. Its existence was limited to the small towns of Modena and Reggio in Italy. Here producing balsamico almost became a form of art and traditions came to be associated with it. It acquired symbolic significance as fresh barrels were added to the stocks of the family at the birth of child and given away at their weddings.

Families cherished their reserves with pride and passed it on as heirlooms. It was a treasured gift and was presented by the families to close friends and associates, visiting dignitaries and doctors. The barrels of balsamico were stacked in the attics away from the buzz of daily life and there over the years it slowly matured–the various flavors of the juice blending with the flavor of the wood to produce a unique taste. Consequently balsamic vinegar came to be considered as a symbol of peace.

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Process of Preparation Aceto Balsamic Tradizionale

The exact process of making authentic balsamic vinegar remains shrouded in mystery. According to an old saying in Modena “Who will first start the vinegar will not taste it, but his children and grandchildren will.” Although prepared according to time honored methods, the specific details of the process have varied over the years, and every family carefully guards its secret recipe. A treatise from the 1800’s on the art of vinegar making states, “Beyond these barrels and Trebbiano grapes, all you need is time.” But the truth is not that simple.

The process of production of balsamic vinegar resembles that of wine making. It begins with the unfermented juice of local grapes, traditionally, the white Trebbiano, although other varieties, such as the white Occio du Gatto and Spergola and the red Berzemino and Lambrusco grapes are also permitted.

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The process of making Balsamic vinegar begins when the grapes are absolutely ripe, they are harvested and then they are crushed and then pressed into a juice called “mosto”. At times if the sugar levels in the grapes are too low, the grapes are further ripened in a wooden box left in the sun for some time before crushing. The “must” is then cooked in open pots over a direct flame and allowed to simmer for 24 to 30 hours, until it becomes an intensely sweet concentrate, reduced in volume by one half or more. While it simmers, the sugars of the grapes caramelize slightly, giving the liquid an amber hue. This unfermented juice, called mosto cotto, is then cooled, allowed to settle, and, in accordance with the traditional methods, transferred to a “batteria,” which is a set of progressively smaller wooden barrels. These barrels are then stored in vinegar attics, called “acetaie” generally on the top floor of the house, to ferment, evaporate, and age over a minimum of 12 years and often decades. By this time it acquires a complex character — aromatic, intensely sweet and syrupy texture.

Although there is no fixed number of barrels required for a batteria, but a minimum of three are needed for the “must” concentration to undergo the processes that give balsamic vinegar its complex characteristics: transformation, maturation, and aging. The barrels, ranging in capacity from 10 liters to 100 liters, are fashioned from hard and soft woods such as ash, oak, chestnut, cherry, mulberry, and juniper. The barrels impart flavor and color to the concentrate, resulting in giving the vinegar a multilayered character. The choice of the variety of woods and their respective positions in the series is a matter of personal preference of the producers. There could any number of variations in this. The choices are typically dictated by personal preference and economic viability, as well as the density of the wood, porosity, flavor, and the availability.

Some producers prefer to use stronger, more aromatic woods for the small casks at the end of the series to impart a sharper finishing character to the vinegar in the final stages. Others favor the more neutral woods, which allow the vinegar to mellow. All barrels are highly porous and have large square bungholes covered by a cotton cloth to allow maximum exposure to air and assist oxidation and evaporation.

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The basic procedure of production of Balsamic vinegar involves two major steps of transformation:
1. Alcoholic fermentation and
2. Acetic oxidation.

Fermentation takes place either in the progression of wood barrels or in large storage tanks where a complex enzymatic activity takes place. The cooked must is added to the tanks or barrels, along with either an acetobacter, called the “mother,” or a small amount of strong wine vinegar. Yeasts either introduced or allowed to develop spontaneously, convert the natural sugars found in the must into alcohol, which is in turn consumed by the acetobacter and converted into vinegar. Traditionally, this process is begun in late summer, when the heat encourages a greater rate of bacterial activity. Higher temperatures are favorable for activating the yeasts.

If the vinegar has been fermented in tanks or barrels, it is then transferred to the batteria but the barrels are filled only up to 66 to 75 percent capacity. This is to allow sufficient air for further oxidation to take place. Over the course of a year, anywhere from 15 percent to 30 percent of the volume is lost through evaporation. Every year, each barrel is topped off with the contents from the next larger one, and the largest is replenished with new cooked must. This step of “topping up” is called “rincalzo”. The shuttling from cask to cask is called “travaso” meaning “between barrels”. Rincalzo is typically done during the coldest part of the year, when bacterial activity is low. Also at this time, the bye products of the fermentation precipitate, leaving a clear liquid on top. Unlike with wine, extreme fluctuations in temperature actually benefit balsamic vinegar, helping it to achieve its density and complex character. Modena and Reggio, with their hot summer evenings and cool winter nights have an ideal climate for vinegar attics.

Thus as the years pass by, the vinegar is transferred into smaller and smaller barrels, the water in it evaporates and the vinegar mellows, becoming viscous, intensely aromatic, and sweet. The final balance in its characteristics is struck through a series of corrections made periodically to adjust the sugar level or acidity level, a task that requires a great deal of skill and expertise on the part of the vinegar maker. After the vinegar has passed through each barrel, it is then transferred to tiny barrels or open barrels for further maturing. Italian law requires a minimum of 12 years of aging before the vinegar can be considered for approval and sold as aceto balsamico tradizionale.

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The mother of Italian vinegar

Over the years while making aceto balsamico tradizionale, the barrels build up deposits, commonly referred to as the “mother” or patrimony of the vinegar. This consists of precipitates, used-up yeasts, bits of wood that have rubbed free and other fermentation bi-products. The old barrels are so valuable that when they begin to deteriorate, new wood is built up around them as a special barrel restoration process.

Each step of this fairly long procedure involves meticulous handling on the part of the producer and this is what defines the character of the vinegar. All the processes right from concentration, caramelization, fermentation and oxidation to steady evaporation contribute to giving the vinegar a viscous texture and an intense sweet and sour flavor. As is clear, the yields will be low because by the time this entire procedure is completed; only a small fraction of the original volume is left. In terms of figures, 800 gallons of grape must yield only 30 gallons of balsamic vinegar in the traditional productions.

Not surprisingly then, the costs would be high. A 3-ounce bottle of aceto balsamico tradizionale can cost more than $100.
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Each year we look for that elusive unique gift idea. Is it for a holiday, a birthday or an anniversary? What gift selection should we consider? Another sweater which will be returned? An electronic gadget which they don’t need and don’t want? Here’s a better idea: how about the gift of gourmet food?

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Authentic balsamic vinegar that is created in the traditional painstaking artisan way is so revered by Italians that it was reserved only for the highest in the land, being the royal family of the day. Even as recently as the 1980’s it was still considered such a sought after item that it was offered as gifts to friends and family but could not be purchased in stores. That respect for this precious commodity is still retained today and in the regions of Italy where balsamic is produced, a gift of a small cask of sublime liquid is commonly offered to a new bride. Balsamic vinegar that is aged in the cask and processed in the traditional artisan way is treated with the same respect as an excellent vintage wine. So, it is unsurprising that some Italians actually treat it as an after dinner drink. This type of vinegar differs from the commercial variety as it is not usually heated for fear that its flavor will be altered. Instead it is used cold as a condiment for meat, poultry, salads, bread and even fruit.

Control of artisan made balsamic vinegar is strict in Italy and to check for authenticity you should see the letters APIMO or APIRE which indicate that the balsamic vinegar is made in either Modeno or Reggio respectively. Artisan made balsamic vinegar is an expensive quality and the older the balsamic the more expensive it becomes. This is largely due to the very precise method of processing the grape wine which is decanted drop by drop and aged in oak casks. You can expect authentic balsamic vinegar made by this method to be aged for at least twelve years. The vinegar is then rigorously tested and will only be accepted if absolutely perfect. This attention to detail even extends to the bottles into which this precious liquid will be decanted. These bottles are recognisable by their shape which is globelike and made of glass and are always have a cork stopper. Again like fine wine balsamic vinegar bottles display colored labels which indicate the standard of the contents. A superior vintage balsamic vinegar will display a gold label and is, unsurprisingly, expensive. These superior vintage balsamic vinegars are in effect antique and should be not be used lavishly. The appearance of this liquid is identified by its rich deep brown molasses appearance. This type of balsamic will be characteristically like a vintage brandy that has been aged and is full bodied and smooth and has no acidic aftertaste.

Balsamic vinegar made in this traditional authentic method means that the balsamic vinegar from one artisan will differ from another, because of the oak casks or barrels that are used to age the liquid. An artisan will try to preserve his barrels for further use and even if the barrel begins to disintegrate the useable parts will be kept to be used in the creation of a new barrel.

In Italy it is possible to be able to observe the traditional method of processing balsamic vinegar by visiting the home of an artisan and sampling some of the finished product. Much pride and precision is taken in creating this liquid gold and the process of its creation is fascinating to watch and highly recommended.
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