 Classifications of Balsamic VinegarTrue Balsamic Vinegar is produced by only two consortiums, Modena and Reggio Emilia. Modena (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena) designates the different ages of their balsamic by label colour. A red label means the vinegar has been aged for at least 12 years, a silver label that the vinegar has aged for at least 18 years and a gold label that designates the vinegar has aged for 25 years or more.
Reggio Emilia (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale de Reggio Emilia) uses a similar system to indicate the age of their balsamic vinegars. A white label means the vinegar has aged for at least 12 years and a gold label bearing the designation extravecchio to show the vinegar has aged for 25 years or more.
Condimento balsamic vinegars are made in the same method as the tradizionale vinegars, but are distributed by producers who are either located outside of the Modena or Reggio provinces of Italy or do not have consortium approval. Some producers of tradizionale balsamic vinegars also produce condimento grade vinegars. Condimento balsamic vinegars may be labelled as condimento balsamico, salsa balsamica or salsa di mosto cotto. However, there are no official standards or labelling systems to designate condimento balsamic vinegars
|
UsesCommercial grade balsamic can be used in salad dressings, marinades and sauces. Cooks use tradizionale and condimento vinegars in small amounts in simple dishes where the balsamic vinegar's complex tastes can be noted. Young vinegars (3 - 5 years) are used in salad dressing while mid-aged balsamic vinegars (6 - 12 years) are used to enhance sauces, pastas and risottos. Old vinegars (12 years plus), which are very rich and thick, are used sparsely to enhance plain meat or fish, fresh fruit such as strawberries or even drunk from a small glass to conclude a meal
|
 ManufactureBalsamic vinegar is manufactured from the juice of white grapes (typically, trebbiano grapes) boiled down to approximately 50% of its original volume to create a concentrated must, which is then fermented with a slow aging process which concentrates the flavours. The flavour intensifies over decades, with the vinegar being kept in fine wooden casks, becoming sweet, viscous and very concentrated (what is gone is romantically referred to as "the angels' share," a term also used in the production of Scotch whisky).
The finest and most traditional balsamic vinegar is very labour-intensive to produce; while it ages and gradually evaporates, the liquid is transferred to successively smaller casks made of different woods, absorbing the flavour characteristics of each wood and becoming more concentrated with each transfer. Oak, mulberry, chestnut, cherry, juniper, ash, and acacia are the most commonly used woods some older balsamic vinegar is added to the must to create a more complex and intricate taste, and to enhance acidity. At the end of the process, the vinegar is taken from the smallest cask: each cask is filled with the contents of the preceding (larger) cask and the cooked must is added to the largest cask.
Balsamic vinegar of the highest quality, labelled tradizionale, usually sells for very high prices; a small (100 ml) bottle can cost well over £100. Most producers, however, do not employ all seven of the aforementioned woods in the aging process; some employ only oak. Several mass-produced, less expensive varieties may not be aged in wood at all, being nothing more than ordinary wine vinegar with colouring and added sugar. Legally, according to the rules of the Consortium, these are not allowed to be called "traditional". However, since the wording "Aceto Balsamico di Modena" failed to achieve the DOP status ("Denominazione di Origine Protetta" or "Protected Denomination of Origin"), products marketed by that name may not have even been produced in Modena
The unique and traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena, Italy is made from the 'must' (unfermented juice) of mainly the Trebbiano grape; other grapes used are Lambrusco, Ancellotta, Sauvignon and Sgavetta. These 'musts' cannot have anything added. The must is then boiled down in open pots over a direct flame.
The extract (concentrated juice) from this cooking is now fruity syrup. At this point some 'mother' of vinegar can be added. ('Mother' is a stringy, slimy substance that forms on the surface of vinegar, composed of various yeast and bacteria [especially mycoderma aceti] that cause fermentation in wine and cider, and turn it into acetic acid - vinegar). It is then aged in barrels of different woods - first in one, then transferred to another etc.
Each company has its own secret progression of wooden barrels usually including chestnut, ash tree, cherry, mulberry, juniper and oak. The finished balsamic must be at least 12 years old, and some is aged much longer. The finished balsamic is then presented to the DOC, a governing body similar to those that govern the quality of French and Italian wines. Balsamics without this designation on the label are usually unaged, aged for 6 months to a year in stainless steel tanks, or aged for 2 to 12 years in wooden barrels.
|
