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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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 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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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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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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