The best Balsamic Vinegars have nothing else added to them - only the grapes.

There is a lot of confusion about balsamic vinegar. On the grocery shelves you will find $3.00 bottles next to $25.00 bottles (often the $3.00 bottles have fancier labels). But, buyer beware! Not all balsamic vinegars are what they appear to be.

Standards adopted and administered by consortia in Modena and Reggio Emilia govern every aspect of how balsamic vinegar is produced and aged. This includes the bottle shape and even the foil that coverz the cap.

According to the Cook's Illustrated Magazine, March 1, 2007:

Tasted straight from the bottle, there was no contest between supermarket and traditional balsamic vinegars. Even the best of the commercial bunch - while similarly sweet, brown, and viscous - couldn't compete with the complex, rich flavor of true balsamic vinegar. With notes of honey, fig, raisin, caramel, and wood; a smooth, lingering taste; and an aroma like fine port, traditional balsamic is good enough to sip like liqueur.

 

Guide To Balsamic Vinegars:

What is balsamic vinegar?  Balsamic vinegar is a reduction made from grapes, but it is not considered a wine vinegar because the grape juice used is unfermented. The unfermented white sweet grape juice that is used is called must and comes from the Trebbiano grapes.

You will find lots of balsamic vinegars in your local stores. Some are worth their high price and others are not. Often, the less expensive ones may suit your needs just fine. While there is really only one “True” balsamic vinegar, there are actually three types of balsamic vinegars that you will encounter on your next shopping experience. Determine which type of balsamic vinegar is for you to use in your cooking and different recipes:

True aceto balsamic vinegar comes in 3.4 ounce bottles and sells from $50.00 to $500.00 per bottle. It must be aged a minimum of 10 year. The better balsamic vinegars are aged 25 to 50 years (these are not to be poured, but used by the drop). Dark in color and syrup in consistency, they have a flavor that is a balance of sweet and sour. Tradizionale has a mellow acidity and a sharp aroma.

Look at the seal, list of ingredients, and the cap for clues. Read the label for cooked grape must, the word “tradizionale,” and the length of time vinegar has aged.

Follow these helpful clues offered by The Vinegar Institute:

• Make sure the consortium seal is over the cap, as well as on the label.
   
• Traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena is only bottled in the distinct bulb-shaped, 100-milliliter bottle.
   
• Modena brands use red and silver labels to indicate aging of 12 and 18 years respectively.
   
• A gold cap indicates a minimum age of 20 years.  
   
• Look for a bottle that comes in a box with a book containing recipes and a description of the process of manufacture and recipes.
   
• Locate traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena in fine gourmet shops

Find a good-quality medium-priced one to use in your cooking.

The commercial grade or "cheap" balsamic vinegars work great in vinaigrettes. Lesser balsamic vinegars have brown sugar or caramel added to mimic the sweetness of the better-quality ones.

If a company produces a "traditional" balsamic vinegar, they will also produce a less expensive, but high quality vinegar as well. This is the same vinegar with the same heritage but not aged as long. You can have confidence in purchasing these balsamic vinegars. CHECK YOUR LABELS!
 

Short History of Balsamic Vinegar:

Until approximately 25 years ago in the late 1970s, true balsamic vinegar or Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale as it is called in Italian, was an Italian artisan product relatively unknown outside of Italy.

The same country that brought you such notable artists as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, as part of the Renaissance, also provides a culinary artistry that offers incomparable quality and taste - the wonderfully adaptable aged balsamic vinegar, aceto balsamico di Modena. Balsamic vinegar can only be produced in the regions of Modena and Reggio in Italy.

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale has actually been being made for nearly a thousand years, but never for commercial use. It was a well kept guard family secret to the rest of the world and relatively unknown even to other Italians. Instead families would pass it on as an heirloom, give it away in very small vials to friends, or bequeath it to a daughter as part of her dowry.

The first historical reference to balsamic vinegar dates back to 1046, when a bottle of balsamic vinegar was reportedly given to Emperor Enrico III of Franconia as a gift. In the Middle Ages, it was used as a disinfectant. It also had a reputation as a miracle cure - good for everything from sore throats to labor pains.

For more information on the history of traditional balsamic vinegar: History - History of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

 

Production of Balsamic Vinegar:

The production of balsamic vinegar resembles that of wine making. Balsamic vinegar is an aged reduction of white sweet grapes (Trebbiano for red and Spergola for white sauvignon) that are boiled to a syrup.

The grapes are cooked very slowly in copper cauldrons over an open flame until the water content is reduced by over 50%. The resulting "must" is placed into wooden barrels and an older balsamic vinegar is added to assist in the acetification.

Each year the vinegar is transferred to different wood barrels so that the vinegar can obtain some of the flavors of the different woods. The only approved woods are oak, cherry, chestnut, mulberry, a cacia, juniper, and ash. The age of the vinegar is divided into young – from 3 to 5 years maturation; middle aged 6 to 12 years and the highly prized very old which is at least 12 years and up to 150 years old.  

 

Ideas for serving Balsamic Vinegar:

• Cream-flavored gelato
• Fresh figs
• Fresh or grilled vegetables
• Grilled or boiled meats
• Panna Cotta
• Parmigianl Reggiano cheese
• Pineapple
• Shellfish (shrimp, scallops, lobster)
• Strawberries
• Vegetable or pasta salads
• Salads and Salad vinaigrettes
• Etc., etc.