Traditional method of production
Traditional Modena Balsamic Vinegar is the outcome of the specific environmental conditions in the area surrounding Modena and the types of grapes grown there, together with the skillfulcooking of the must used and the loving care taken every year when the vinegar is transferred from barrel to barrel.
After the grapes are crushed and before fermentation begins, the must is cooked in open vats, at atmospheric pressure, to a concentration of from 30 to 70%. After lengthy decantation, the cooked must naturally starts both to ferment and to undergo acetic bioxidation by yeasts and acetobacteria.
This is followed by the maturing stage, of vital importance for the creation of the unique fragrances of traditional balsamic vinegar.
Finally comes the aging stage, during which the vinegar’s characteristics reach true perfection.
The three stages take place in a series of barrel of different woods (generally oak, chestnut, mulberry, cherry and juniper) and decreasing size, varying from 75/100 litres to 10/15 litres in capacity. Each type of wood gives the vinegar a specific personality: tannin-rich chestnut darkens its colour, mulberry concentrates it more quickly, juniper gives a resinous tang and cherry sweetens its flavour, while oak, the finest wood for mature vinegar, will give it a distinctive vanilla fragrance.
The difference in capacity between the barrels is calculated to allow the annual transfer process. To take place. The level of vinegar in each barrel is topped up by using vinegar from the barrel immediately before it in the series, to compensate for the finished vinegar taken for use and the annual evaporation loss. These operation require skill and a sensitivity to the product’s natural evolution, to ensure it will continue to give the very best results over centuries to come.
