Balsamic Vinegar is not only from Modena

Today’s new will create a big rumour among the producers: Balsamic Vinegar is not only from Modena! This is the Court of Justice of the European Union’s judgment.

The issue has started a few time ago because of the use of the term Balsamic by a German company “Balema GmbH”. The Consortium for the Protection of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena has not allowed the use of the word Balsamic for the denomination of the German products. So the company has decided to oppose this prohibition.

Nowadays the European Court of Justice has decided that what the Consortium has done is not viable. The denomination of “Balsamic Vinegar” can be protected only when it refers to a specific area that is “Balsamic Vinegar from Modena”. Our Italian product is recognized in Europe and abroad as excellence Made in Italy. It is identified by the full name Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

PGI trademark indicates a Protected Geographical Indication so we reiterate that what is protected is the geographic part of the denomination. The Court of Justice specifies that Vinegar is a common noun and Balsamic is an adjective. These terms denote the characteristics of the product (in particular the bitter-sweet taste). These words, in fact, are not exclusive for the Modenese Balsamic. An example is the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia.

So, the Consortium can’t protect the denomination of Balsamic Vinegar and others can use this term. It is the place of origin that identifies the products and together with the IGP trademark makes the black gold from Modena unique and distinctive.

Balsamic Vinegar is not only from Modena: thanks to this judgment the Court of Justice it opens the doors to competitors from all over the world and allows them to use the denomination “Balsamic”.

Here you can download the full text of the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union:

We will follow the story and tell you about further developments.

For now, we send you a warm greeting from Modena.