In Modena the Balsamic Vinegar is definitely considered the king of the ingredients. It is used raw or cooked all over the world.
People of Modena are proud of their excellence and constantly praise this black gold in various ways. In Spilamberto for example (a town just outside Modena and cradle of the Balsamic), the monument inside a roundabout represents a drop of Vinegar.

In this atmosphere of pride related to the territory, the collaboration between the well-known Swarovski brand, in particular Swarovski Modena and  L-Originale company, selector and seller of Balsamic Vinegar, is born.

The result? Traditional Balsamic Vinegar wearing a precious Swarovski suit.

100ml of product from one of the oldest Vinegar lofts of Modena, aged for over 25 years in barrels of different woods and contained in a flask-shaped bottle… covered with certified Swarovski diamonds.

“The idea comes” tell us Andrea Adani, founder of L-Originale, “… from the wish to provide the right and worthy housing to the excellence of our Province. No more simple glass bottles but something … more! We wanted to create a product that combines tradition and elegance, luxury and simplicity. Swarovski Modena appreciate this project and agreed with enthusiasm to collaborate with us by showing the new bottle in its shop window, located a few steps away from the famous Ghirlandina, the symbol and heart of Modena!”

Great achievement for L-Originale, which states “given the positive outcome with Swarovski Modena, we are also getting in touch with Swarovski Bologna. The goal is to spread the black gold in its sparkling new outfit all over the neighboring provinces. Vinegar connoisseurs will love it!”

The post Swarovski Modena and L-Originale appeared first on Use Balsamic Vinegar.

How old is your balsamic cellar?

Our battery  is 40 years old; it was bought already formed but it was used for the first time only after 5 years…

Who built it?

It was bought by an acquaintance of ours who shared the same passion.

Is it a family tradition that is handed down from father to son or is it a recent interest?

And  when and how did you become interested in Balsamic Vinegar production?

When I was a child I followed the racking and all the various ridges that were done annually. That’s why I became more and more interested in this activity, also because year after year the product was improving.

Surely it is a big treasure for our family, because it is something that was created and left us by our beloved father…

Where do you keep the barrels?

Unfortunately, we keep our vinegar in a cellar, when many other producers prefer to store it in the attic or in the granary…normally attics are the optimal place to keep it.

However I can guarantee that it is a high-quality product and above all it is natural, produced without the addition of substances that try to improve its taste or its visual aspect.

Unfortunately it is common to find on the market products which are not pure but additioned  with substances that modify the characteristics which are peculiar of the product itself…

We are proud of the pureness of our vinegar!

How many barrels do you have? Do you know what the barrels are made of?

The battery is made up of 16 barrels of different woods: cherry, chestnut and walnut and it goes from 50 liters up to 5 liters of capacity.

How much vinegar can you produce each year?

We can produce from 3 to 4 liters of ready-to-eat balsamic vinegar every year.

Have you ever thought about selling your vinegar? / What use do you make of it?

Due to regulations and as a family tradition, we have agreed not to sell our vinegar. For this reason, we either consume it in the family or we give it as present to some acquaintance.

How much does the acetaia cost to you annually?

The complete battery requires an annual transfer of the product and this is always done in the winter period. What’s more we make an accurate cleaning around the barrels with a strong vinegar in order to preserve them. This process is done 2 times a year and only when there is a full moon.

More in general, the operations of pouring off, tapping and maintenance require about 8 hours a year, for a total cost of about 300 euros, most of whom are due to the cost of the must that is used for replenishing the barrels.

Currently, our acetaia has a market value of 30,000 euros, and that is precisely because it produces balsamic vinegar.

Since I have children and grandchildren, the acetaia will never be sold and I hope it will be handed down to the family for a long time over the years.

L-Originale Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: www.l-originale.com

(amazon.IT)  (amazon.UK)  (amazon.DE)  (amazon.ES)  (amazon.FR) (amazon.USA) 

The post Balsamic Vinegar: a family tradition appeared first on Use Balsamic Vinegar.

The boiling of the grape must takes place in open boilers with direct heat. Once they were made of copper, today the used one are of stainless steel. Some years ago, the boiler full of must was heated thanks to firewood; today this process happens with a gas burner or with a thermostat that ensures a constant temperature maintenance by avoiding the classic changes due to the firewood.                                                                                                                                                                                                        Previously walnuts were added to the boiling grape must to monitor its temperature, in fact if the temperature is too high, the walnut starts to turn. Today, some vinegar producers still add walnuts during cooking to keep tradition alive, although they keep using the thermometer.

The boiling of grape must process begins by filling the boiler with the must and trying to bring it to a temperature of about 90/95 degrees in a fairly short time with lively fire, to avoid the alcoholic fermentation. Once the temperature has been reached it will be maintained with moderate flame.

During cooking, the effect that is obtained is the evaporation of part of the water present in the must and the increase of the sugar, moreover the impurities will emerge thanks to the heat and this will make easier their removal.

The boiling of grape must usually starts in the morning and ends when it is now evening or even in the case of six quintal boilers, even until the next morning. Cooking will end when the must is cooked and it is reduced to about half the initial volume. There are two possible opposing cases: a reduction of only one third of the initial product or a reduction of up to one third of the initial volume. The point at which to stop, between these two extremes, depends on the gradation of the fresh must used at the beginning of the process and on the different needs of the various vinegar yards and on the different use that the producer wants to make of the grape must.

In this regard, we can distinguish:

1. poorly cooked musts (22/26° Babo*)

2. normally cooked musts (28/34° Babo)

3. very cooked musts (38/42° Babo and above)

During cooking it is essential to avoid that the must never reaches full boiling, thus avoiding that the product burns; the optimal temperature is 90/95, these degrees ensure a moderate caramelisation of the sugars that gives the typical taste to the must used for Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Once the cooked must has cooled down, it must be stored in carboys filled to its maximum and hermetically sealed for the necessary winter settling. Carboys should then be placed in a cold and dry place to avoid the development of mould and ensure the decantation of the product, during this phase the cold that will kill bacteria. In spring the cooked must is purified, ready to begin the balsamic fermentation phase and use Balsamic Vinegar that is going to be created.

* The value read on the densimeter refers to the so called “Babo” degree, where each degree corresponds to 10 grams of sugar in 1000 grams of must.

L-Originale Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: www.l-originale.com

(amazon.IT)  (amazon.UK)  (amazon.DE)  (amazon.ES)  (amazon.FR)

The post The boiling of grape must as a key element for the Balsamic Vinegar appeared first on Use Balsamic Vinegar.

Balsamic vinegar is produced by the partial fermentation of grape must, which can come from the territories of Lambrusco, Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Albana, Ancellotta, Fontana and Montuni. Wine vinegar and aged vinegar (at least 10 years old) are added to the must in equal parts, usually the minimum of their percentage is about 10.

The grape must used to produce vinegar is approximately 20 % of the initial product to be processed. To obtain a final product without any alteration, the must to be used need to have at least an acidity of 8 g/kg and a minimum net dry extract of 55 g/kg. Caramel can also be added, but nothing else, up to a maximum of 2% to achieve the desired colour.

The production of balsamic vinegar of Modena IGP is carried out through acidification: this can be accomplished thanks to bacterial colonies or slow maturation. The next step is the ageing process: it takes place inside selected wooden containers, such as oak, chestnut, oak, mulberry and juniper. The minimum aging period is 60 days from when the ingredients are mixed together. At the end of this process, the product obtained is examined and entrusted to a group of experts who decide whether the product can obtain IGP certification.

After 60 days in the wooden casks, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI can have an additional ageing period in smaller casks. If this process is more than three years long, the product is labelled as “invecchiato” (aged). Once all these steps have been completed Balsamic Vinegar can be put on the market and sold in glass, wood, ceramic or terracotta bottle, they can have various measures (0,250 l; 0,500 l; 0,750 l; 1 l; 2 l; 3 l or 5 l). Moreover, they can be sold in single-dose packs of plastic or composite materials, of 25 ml maximum. The product can be labelled as “balsamic vinegar of Modena IGP” only if all the production processes are carried out exclusively in Modena and Reggio Emilia territories.

L-Originale Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: www.l-originale.com

(amazon.IT)  (amazon.UK)  (amazon.DE)  (amazon.ES)  (amazon.FR)

The post How to produce balsamic vinegar of Modena IGP appeared first on Use Balsamic Vinegar.

Why has a Swiss decided to have his personal Balsamic Vinegar loft?

It has all started when I was in Modena and I had a taste of the traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, in that moment I understood that it had nothing to do with all the vinegar I have tried before, I immediately fell in love with it. Therefore, the passion born for this precious product has gone well beyond the borders and has landed in the green Switzerland, where a group of friends has decided to start independently a battery of barrels to produce and use Balsamic Vinegar according to the Modena tradition.

With the passing of time, I was more and more fond of this product; as I was learning more about its production and more I wanted to have my personal Balsamic Vinegar cellar. I was already dreaming of my Balsamic Vinegar barrels and of the smell of the evaporating must.

When did you decide to have your personal Balsamic Vinegar cellar?

It all started when I was tired of waiting for the chance to take part in a similar adventure, born from another group of Swiss friends who, for the same passion, created their Balsamic Vinegar cellar in Switzerland. It seemed that for a long time they wanted me to participate, but then there was the time to talk about my affiliation, they were never clear about how much was the fee to join.

After a couple of years of waiting I was tired of not being able to be an active part of that fantastic world, so I decided to go to Modena and I visited some producers of barrels and vinegar.

After this trip I became even more curious about the tradition of Balsamic Vinegar and after some research in a few months my desire to have “my” personal Balsamic Vinegar cellar was reality and in a few times it became “our” cellar, because together with three other friends of mine (Iacopo, Omar and Dario) we have created our “cumpagnia da l’aséd” (the fellowship of the vinegar) and it seems like that in a few years we are going to have our Balsamic Vinegar.

What are the steps you made to start your “cumpagnia da l’aséd”?

As I said before I collected some information for several months, I visited some vinegar producers and master coopers in the Modena, then I studied the methods and techniques until they came to understand with which method, which woods and which vinegar would have been fantastic to make my personal Balsamic Vinegar. I bought at the beginning a battery of 6 different barrels of wood produced by “Renzi” (considered the best master cooper in Modena). Then over the years we have been able to see the cellar growing and expanding until today’s state; two final barrels of 10 litres in cherry and juniper, seven mixed barrels from 13 to 50 litres and a tenth to serve as barrel mother of 225 litres. In total, the woods are now the best tradition: oak, chestnut, locust tree, pear wood, mulberry, cherry and juniper.

Naturally all the tools, form the vinegar to the barrels, are from Modena and its neighborhood. In addition, every year we go to Modena to buy the vinegar (that has to be strictly of Trebbiano of Spagna) for the pouring process and also to hang out with our friends from Modena that have seen our Personal Balsamic Vinegar cellar begin and develop

What are the differences between your Balsamic Vinegar and the one usually produced in Modena?

The geographical location? (laughing) Joking aside, we are very enthusiast about our results and what is going to expect. Of course, our personal Balsamic Vinegar doesn’t have the ideal acidity according to the ABTM Consortium, but this won’t last long, because it all depends on short aging process and because we have done not so much collection of the product. But, I’d give a wrong statement if I say that is not a vinegar worthy of our tradition, indeed it’s almost… a Balsamic Vinegar worth of competition!

L-Originale Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: www.l-originale.com

(amazon.IT)  (amazon.UK)  (amazon.DE)  (amazon.ES)  (amazon.FR)

The post A personal Balsamic Vinegar worth of competition! appeared first on Use Balsamic Vinegar.

But how and when Travasi and Rincalzi of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar takes place?

Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is obtained from the must of the Trebbiano and Lambruscho grapes, which grows and are harvested exclusively in the territories of Modena. In  early October, the must is cooked slowly at a constant temperature. When the cooked must is reduced to about half of its initial volume, it is racked and sealed in glass jug to cool down. After a month, the cooked must is racked and sealed in another glass jug. This process is repeated in total for 5 / 7 times until a brown film is formed at the bottom of the jug. When the film is formed, it is time to pour the young vinegar into a series of wooden barrels to let the aging process go on.

The set of barrels, in which the Traditional Balsamic rest, is called “Batteria” (array). The array of barrels is usually composed of 5 to 7 barrels of decreasing dimensions. The largest can contain about 60-70 litres and the smallest that can have a capacity from 10 to 5 litres. The barrels are made with different types of wood (oak, cherry, ash, chestnut, juniper and mulberry) that give the product a natural aroma and influence its consistency and colour.

For the moment of Travasi and Rincalzi of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar in the creation a battery, the choice of wood is fundamental. Generally, it tends to use lighter, porous woods (Cherry, Mulberry) for larger barrels (Array Head) because they facilitate evaporation through a good exchange of oxygen, necessary at the time of fermentation. For the smaller (Arrayy Fashion), instead barrels of hard woods (Durmast and Locust tree) are used, because they are well suited to the aging phase of the product. Finally, in the central part of the battery, semi-hard wood (Chestnut, Ash) takes care of the maturation phase.

Balsamic vinegar is taken from the smaller barrel and bottled as a final product. After that, it is necessary to level the liquid of the smallest barrel, in order to compensate the collection of the finished product, and also that of the other casks, which due to evaporation undergo an annual decrease in their content.

Once the “Travasi” (pouring) have been completed, the barrel of head will in turn be levelled with the “Rincalzo” (addition) of cooked must obtained from the last harvest or, if present, contained in the “Botte Madre”(Main Barrel). The importance of this operation is fundamental so that all those microbial transformations take place in the Balsamic Vinegar and will lead the Balsamic Vinegar to assume those characteristics typical of harmony of flavours and unparalleled symphony of perfumes.

Then every year, after having collected the quantity of Balsamic Vinegar that will be bottled from the smallest barrel, so that you can actually use Balsamic Vinegar, that has been just made, we go on to top up the smaller barrel with the liquid of the penultimate barrel and continue gradually to climb, until the first larger barrel that is topped up with the new boiled must. In addition, new acetified must needs to be added to the ageing process.

L-Originale Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: www.l-originale.com

(amazon.IT)  (amazon.UK)  (amazon.DE)  (amazon.ES)  (amazon.FR)

The post Travasi and Rincalzi of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar appeared first on Use Balsamic Vinegar.

Have you always been interested in the Balsamic Vinegar production and tradition?

If I have to tell the truth I wasn’t very interested in the production of Balsamic Vinegar at the beginning. I come from a family with farming origin that has never produced Balsamic Vinegar before, so it wasn’t part of our family tradition, but I started being fond of its production around eighteen years ago.

Tell us more, what has happened eighteen years ago?

My daughter was born! Actually, it is a tradition of the city of Modena to create a new array as soon as a daughter was born, so that she could use it as dowry. I didn’t do it for this purpose of course, I just wanted to do something for my new born, something to celebrate her birth, in fact the first thing I did as I bought the barrels was branding them with the writing “Miryea”, that is the name of my daughter.

What are the steps you made to start this new “adventure”?

First things first I bought the barrels, five to be more precise. I bought them from the best master cooper in Modena: the biggest one has a maximum capacity of 50 litres, while the smallest of 15 litres. Then I bought the grape must, a must that had yet started the process of acidification and I decided to buy it the must  from the best seller in Modena too.

Where do you have created your own Balsamic Vinegar cellar?

At my house, I have some space, so I was able to keep it next to me and my family.

Let’s talk about numbers. How much did you spend for your own Balsamic Vinegar cellar?

A lot! I spent around five/six thousands of euro to buy the barrels and every year I spend two hundred euro to buy new must. At the end of the year to produce my own litre of Balsamic vinegar I spend around three hundred euro.

Have you ever thought about selling it?

Absolutely not! The only reason I created my own Balsamic Vinegar cellar was my daughter, now I keep doing it because it became a real passion! Moreover, if I would like to sell it I should have it certified by the Consortium and it is not something I really care about, even if now I have an eighteen years old Balsamic Vinegar! In addition I am not the only one, a lot of other family here in Modena do not “believe” in the Consortium certification, in fact it’s rare that a family have its own Balsamic Vinegar certified.

So do you only use Balsamic Vinegar?

Not always! I do not use it with salads, for example, but I really like it on strawberries and parmesan. My daughter instead use Balsamic Vinegar every time she has the occasion! She is proud to have a Balsamic Vinegar with her own name!

L-Originale Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: www.l-originale.com

(amazon.IT)  (amazon.UK)  (amazon.DE)  (amazon.ES)  (amazon.FR)

The post My Own Balsamic Vinegar Cellar: Gianni Flash appeared first on Use Balsamic Vinegar.

Today we suggest you the escalopes with Balsamic Vinegar, a new recipe that consists of few ingredients, but it is at the same time delicious and tempting. It also requires short time to cook, so it’s perfect if you don’t have a lot of time but you still want to prepare something satisfying. We are talking about the escalopes with Balsamic Vinegar. If you want to know more, keep on reading!

Ingredients for 4 people: 

• 8 slices pig or veal filoni
• q.s. of flour
• 50 of gr Butter
• a few drops of Balsamic Vinegar

Preparation:

Flour the slices of meat, put them in a pan where you have previously dissolved the butter.

Cook them from both sides, salt them and then sprinkle them with Balsamic Vinegar, let them evaporate and then remove them from the heat and serve.

Tips:

The escalopes with Balsamic Vinegar has its origin in Modena. In this city and in the neighbouring places almost all the families produce traditional balsamic vinegar, it consists of a heritage that is handed down from parents to children from remote eras.

A note:

If you use Balsamic Vinegar of Modena follow the dose in the recipe; if you use instead the vinegar sold in supermarkets, the dose increases to one tablespoon.

Editor’s Notes:

For the escalopes with balsamic Vinegar the possible switching of the two kinds of vinegars is not possible with the step of the evaporation, in fact the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar cannot be evaporated. Only the commercial vinegar can be heated.

L-Originale Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: www.l-originale.com

(amazon.IT)  (amazon.UK)  (amazon.DE)  (amazon.ES)  (amazon.FR)

The post Escalopes with Balsamic Vinegar appeared first on Use Balsamic Vinegar.

But first let’s talk about a bit of the history: everyone in Modena and Reggio Emilia has or has had to do with Balsamic Vinegar: there are many families in the attics of their homes, whether they are in the countryside or in the city, who have set up a battery of barrels to produce vinegar for domestic consumption.

The tradition of Balsamic Vinegar in Modena is very ancient: almost every family had at least a battery of ageing barrels in the attic, and the customs is that every female daughter who was going to get married brought in dowry an array of Balsamic Vinegar, the more barrels a woman had and the more her dowry is precious.

According to the tradition it is the female part that keeps the Balsamic Vinegar cellar, today this tradition is outdated. Balsamic Vinegar has always been a product that is passed on from generation to generation in the same family, so there are no two identical vinegar cellars because they are the result of the owner’s personality and family history.
Unfortunately, there has been cases in which a Balsamic Vinegar cellar has ruined due to the disappearance of their offspring or family breakdowns.

Many people have therefore been able to get to know the gestures and operations that have always accompanied the work in a Balsamic Vinegar cellar: everyone has their own memories about Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, an idea of tradition, family and skilled practices.

We will resend soon to talk again about The tradition of Balsamic Vinegar in Modena!

L-Originale Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: www.l-originale.com

(amazon.IT)  (amazon.UK)  (amazon.DE)  (amazon.ES)  (amazon.FR)

The post The tradition of Balsamic Vinegar in Modena is very ancient appeared first on Use Balsamic Vinegar.

The first stage is in Florence, at the Stazione Leopolda of the Chianti Classico Collection 2018. Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI is presented together with other Italian agri-food specialities, all protected by the AICIG institution. In this situation, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI is the most famous product, in fact the Balsamic Vinegar PGI is the most exported product, about 92 % of the production is consumed abroad.

The second stage of the tour of the consortium is in Dubai, for the no profit evening organized by “I Love Italian Food “, which aims to promote and preserve the Italian food and wine culture. During this event, the Consortium for protection of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena will be represented by the its president Mariangela Grosoli, who will be the one who will hand over the “100per100 Italian” prize in Dubai, which will go to the Italians who stand out more in this city.

Immediately after Dubai, the consortium moves to Miami, for the Food & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF), where the best food and wine products in the world will be shown, moreover chefs and experts from all over the world will be there. The main purpose of the presence of Balsamic Vinegar at this event is to make American consumers aware about this product and do not know how to use Balsamic Vinegar, in fact they are not at all conscious of the true characteristics and differences of Balsamic Vinegar. This is the first time that Balsamic Vinegar is part of this admirable, internationally recognized event. It represents a great opportunity to introduce this wonderful product to the world.

During the SOBEWFF, the consortium will work alongside with Barilla’s Italian Bites on the Beach, where the country’s greatest chefs will serve dishes from various regions of Italy. A reinterpretation of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena will be served too.

The Consortium will take part in the Trade Day of Wine Spectator, presented by Beverage Media Group and hosted by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, while in the last two days it will be one of the protagonists of the festival’s characteristic event, “The Goya Foods Grand Tasting Village”, which will take place in Miami Beach. During this event culinary demonstrations will be shown by over 50 restaurateurs and there will be also the possibility to taste food and wine from all over the world. In the same days, the Consortium for protection of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena will also take part in numerous side events, with the aim of forging strong relationships with local chefs and operators.

L-Originale Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: www.l-originale.com

(amazon.IT)  (amazon.UK)  (amazon.DE)  (amazon.ES)  (amazon.FR)

The post The Consortium for protection of Balsamic Vinegar worldwide tour appeared first on Use Balsamic Vinegar.