Vinegar

Aceto balsamico, or balsamic vinegar, has been made in Modena for many centuries, during which time the production method has hardly changed. Fresh grape juice is boiled in an open pot over fire for at least a day, after which the liquid is transferred to wooden vats for ageing. This ageing varies from a couple of years for the cheapest commercial products, through to twelve and fifteen years for the middle price range, and up to fifty years for the outrageously expensive. The older the vinegar, the darker in colour it is, and the more intensely sweet. Most balsamici are blends of young vinegars with a small amount of the very old concentrated one.