Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

Hi Today I want to write about balsamic vinegar, a product I am really passioned about, traditionally home made in my home town. In my family we still make our own vinegar.

The reason I want to write about it is because there are wrong beliefs about this product. First of all there are two different types: the original one is called Aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena (Traditional Balsamic vinegar of Modena), while the most popular and sold imitation is named Aceto balsamico di Modena (Balsamic Vinegar of Modena), all the difference stands in the word "tradizionale" (traditional). 

The second one is made by adding sugar to some wine vinegar, this is being cooked in order to caramelize it and obtain the typical sweet flavor. 

The real one comes from a natural trasformation process of the grape's cooked must, this is lasting a very long time. The grapes traditionally used are “Trebbiano” and “Lambrusco Grasparossa” or “Ancellotta”. 

During the first year the barrels (every barrel has a different size and they are ordered from the smallest to the biggest one) are filled with must and after one year the must becomes vinegar, but not yet traditional. 
Every year an amount of vinegar is being withdrawn from the smallest barrel, which is then refilled with the vinegar from the barrel next to it. This procedure is repeated for each barrel untill the biggest one. The last one is now ready to be refilled with new must. This process creates a perfect environment for bacteria to grow, one of the causes for the thickening of the balsamic vinegar with no added chemicals and using only barrels made of untreated woods (sessile oak, chestnut, juniper, mulberry).

At the end with 200 kg of grapes you will obtain 2 litres of balsamic vinegar, following the above process each year for 12 years!  We need this amount of time because the vinegar produced in the first 11 years is not considered good enough to be called "tradizionale"

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What also makes the difference between types of Traditional balsamic vinegar is where the barrels are kept, (usually under a roof) and how long the barrels have been used: the best balsamic vinegar comes from barrels that have been used for more than a century! Of course the oldest the barrels are, the most product is lost in evaporation, that means that in a very old battery you need much more than 200kg of grape for 2 liters of vinegar.

Now that you have a better understanding of how the traditional balsamic vinegar is made, you will be able to recognise the real one, which is much more expensive, and therefore use it appropriately and in small quantities considering that it is such a precious product. 

For a better understanding of prices I suggest to read this article from Huffington Post.