A history of balsamic vinegar - part 2

A history of balsamic vinegar - part 2

A history of balsamic vinegar - part 2

17/05/2015

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The three different Balsamic Vinegars are:   Aceto Balsamico di Modena DOP; Aceto Balsamico di Reggio Emilia DOP; Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP The grapes are exclusively from the Modena province: lambrusco, ancellotta, trebbiano, sauvignon, sganella, berzemino, occhio di gatto. The "must" from the grapes has to be cooked, and the process reduces it. The cooked, reduced must lies in barrels of different woods: chestnut (for tannins and colour), mulberry (helps the concentration of the vinegar), juniper (yields resinous substances), oak (for the vanilla flavour).   The aging process is based on the travasi, the pouring: every year part of the vinegar is  transferred from a barrel to a different one, different in dimension and wood.  The aging spans at least 12 years for the "Affinato" (refined), 25 years for the "Extravecchio" (extra-aged).  The bottle must be a 100ml one, spherical on a rectangular base. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia DOP Of course, in this case, grapes and aging process are in the Reggio Emilia province. The three Reggio Emilia Balsamic Vinegars are: Lobster (color) label: aged 12 years; Silver label: between 12 and 25 years. Gold label: 25 years;   The bottles are 100ml, in a drop shape. Both for the Modena and the Reggio Emilia Vinegars a Board supervises the production protecting producers and consumers.     Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP It is totally different: it has a disciplinary far less restrictive. This vinegar is made from cooked must and wine vinegar! It is not forbidden to add sugar, and grapes are more or less the same as for the traditional, but can also come from other provinces. There are two versions: the first is aged between sixty days and three years, the second over three years. After aging in wood barrels the product is bottled in containers that can be of different materials, from glass to ceramics, or wood, with a capacity of 0.25 even up to 5 liters!