Oak Wood Matured BALSAMIC VINEGAR and
Cold Pressed extra Virgin OLIVE OIL now available.

  Convenient 250ml table sizes.

Our 12 Star Balsamic Vinegar

A deep, dark, glossy brown manifests its density in an honest, flowing syrupy consistency. It has a characteristic perfume; complex and sharp, with an evident but pleasant and harmonic acidity. Of a traditional and inimitably well-balanced sweet and sour taste, it offers itself generously full and savoury, with velvety hints in accordance with its typical olfactory characteristics”.

The definition of traditional balsamic vinegar sums up centuries of history in the few seconds needed to read it. What distinguishes balsamic vinegar from other vinegars is not only the substance from which it is made, but the alchemy of time and the knowledge belonging to a tradition that boasts ancient origins. Indeed, the time span of a human life is often only a brief event in the long voyage completed by the must.

The operations that take balsamic vinegar, the primary product of the grapevine, to the table are codified in a sort of ritual
in which nothing is left to chance; each passage has been scientifically explained and yet what happens in the bowels of the
casks remains essentially a mystery. 

Here is a five barrel battery giving some possible examples of woods that might be used. Castania (chestnut), for example, is very important for coloration and acidic development. Cherry imparts a sweetness and juniper7 or mulberry provide a spicy  aroma. Oak’s dense wood structure allows less evaporation. There aren’t really any hard and fast wood rules (I’ve seen mulberry used for the first barrel, for example), and, as usual, it comes down to your own taste preferences8 and luck9.The absolute undoubtedly without question most important item is the ‘must’ content. 

Rating System for Balsamic Vinegar of Modena