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Balsamic Vinegar Demystified P1
P2 P3
 Traditional
Balsamic Vinegar is sold in unique 100ml bottles. It is very thick, expensive
and rare. Each series of barrels makes only 5 liters per year and only cooked
must (as opposed to the less expensive pressurized variety) may be used to
produce Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. A bottle aged for 12 years (the youngest
allowed by law) typically sells for over $100. The 25-year product sells for
even more! Because of its scarcity, its creators began blending it with less
expensive wine vinegar. Thus a new product was born, named Balsamic Vinegar OF MODENA. This vinegar, which can be made from either cooked or pressurized
concentrated must blended with red wine vinegar, is now commonly available in
supermarkets all across the U.S. Whereas Traditional Balsamic Vinegar is used
purely as a condiment, lesser Balsamic Vinegars of Modena are used to make salad
dressings and marinades. Higher quality versions are still used as a condiment
or in a reduction to make sauces.
What Defines Its Quality
The vinegar shelf in the supermarket has a dizzying array of Balsamic Vinegars,
each with a distinct bottle, label and price. Until recently however, there was
only one way for the American consumer to determine the relative quality of each
brand of Balsamic Vinegar - take a bottle home and taste it for oneself. While
this might be an educational and interesting project for some, most of us would
prefer to know more about what is in the bottle before we buy it. Three factors
determine the quality of a given Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: the quality of
ingredients, the blending ratio, and aging.
 Like
any other product, the quality of the raw ingredients determines the quality of
the end product. The quality of the grapes determines the quality of the must.
The process used to concentrate the must is also an important factor. While
cooking the must costs three times as much as pressurizing it, cooking it yields
a far superior result. The degree of concentration is also an important
differentiating factor. The quality of the wine vinegar that is blended with the
must vinegar also varies greatly.
The blending ratio, that is the amount of must vinegar relative to the amount of
wine vinegar, is a critical factor in the quality of the end product. Obviously,
a higher quality Balsamic Vinegar of Modena contains a higher proportion of must
vinegar. By law, producers are allowed to use very small quantities of must
vinegar and obtain the typical dark ruby color by adding caramel color. However,
such a vinegar will taste too harsh. Balsamic Vinegar of Modena should have a
sweet, mellow flavor.
The most misunderstood factor that determines the quality of a Balsamic Vinegar
of Modena is aging. Under favorable conditions, the longer the concentrated must
ages in the wooden barrels, the better it will taste. However if low quality
must is aged, or if poorly maintained barrels are used, longer aging will make
the product worse. Furthermore, because musts of different batches are often
blended before being blended with the wine vinegar, the actual aging of the must
vinegar is difficult to describe accurately. In fact, the final quality of a
given Balsamic Vinegar of Modena has less to do with the aging term and more to
do with the other two factors described above.
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Italy produces a wide range of exquisite, flavorful cheeses that rival any in the world.
More Italian Cheese Here
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