Sourcing the best Balsamico di Modena
Do you know how true authentic balsamic vinegar is made in the traditional way of Modena? If no, then neither did I. I have been wanting to source some actual ‘real’ balsamic vinegar for a long time and decided to bite the bullet and take a trip to Modena to source some myself.
I started with A LOT of online research into companies in the area which produce the vinegar, I selected around 20. I contacted these and around 9 came back to me. I wanted to see what the ethos of the company was and a true family run enterprise. I like to focus on family run businesses as I think these are the ones that have love poured into their products. I whittled it down to 3 and met with all of them in one VERY long day! Dragging around a moody 11-year-old and a toddler was not the average business meeting, but the Italians are amazingly family orientated and were very obliging to my children’s demands! We visited two estates where we gained a lot of knowledge on the production of balsamico di Modena, history and A LOT of tastings, my mind crammed full of knowledge on thev production and my tastebuds over used, we then moved on to the last estate.
While driving to my chosen estate Delizia Estense, I knew this was the one for me. As we drove up a hillside track, we came to the top of what would have been an incredible view on a better day. We, unfortunately had an ever-changing pattern of drizzle, mist then rain! The estate is the highest in all of Modena, lying at 350m above sea level, with vineyards surrounding the estate house and buildings. These grapes are what is used in their vinegar. Due to our 2-hour drive back to where we were staying and very tired children, we had a tour of the estate buildings at a near run! After a demonstration on how the vinegar was made PGI (Protected geographical indication), cooked grape must which is placed in an oak barrel for at least 12 months, to produce a strong, sweet, slightly thicker vinegar. The PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) where the vinegar is transferred from one wooden barrel to the next smaller one every year, each time changing wood, in a process known as ‘travasi’ or transfers. The vinegar gains flavours from the different aged wood barrels and evaporates throughout the process. In at least 12 years, the vinegar is decanted and sent for testing to gain the PDO status. This is done by a panel of testers, the vinegar then has to be placed in a specific bottle of Balsamico di Modena, 100ml. This vinegar is super thick, where only a couple of drops are needed to add an elevation to a dish.
After this very informative introduction to the process of how they make their balsamic, we sat down to a tasting of the vinegars and some of their Lambrusco- utterly delicious! This may have been the final clinch for me to import their vinegar above the others.
If you would like to try a bottle of the balsamic then look at our website www.olivesplus.co.uk, look for our recipes of how to use our products, new ones are being added all the time!
