Cooked - Balsamic Vinegars

Without beating around the bush too much, more than 99.99% of the Balsamics found on the market are a mixture of wine vinegar and must. Not necessarily cooked, because it can also be just concentrated (at low temperature).

That is, a mix between an acidic/sour part and a sweet part.

That is, a mix between two extremely stable products, which can come from anywhere and which are always available.

A mixture.

A prescription.

Not the fruit of a transformation process, of one or more fermentations.

This is because it is obviously easier to mix than to ferment .

And this is unless we are talking about Traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Reggio Emilia or Modena, both DOP made by law (coincidentally) with 100% cooked must.

Traditional Balsamic Vinegar embodies the true uniqueness and identity of the Balsamic Vinegar culture. That is, there are aged vinegars in the world, there are also other sweet and sour vinegars but Balsamic - it was - the only one to be made from COOKED MUST. And this is the real final peculiarity.

Hence the conceptual division between Raw Vinegars and Cooked Vinegars.

A bit like, throughout history, we have always actually had cooked wines alongside the (raw) wines that we all know today.

Therefore, with the exception of the Traditional DOP, until proven otherwise, all the Balsamics that can be found on the market are mixtures of vinegar and must.

YES. The "premium" ones are also a mixture, in imaginative and precious bottles,

YES. They too, the dense ones, the ones with important numbers on the labels, those of famous chefs.

Virtually all mixed. Wine vinegar and must, then possibly reconcentrated depending on the density you want to obtain.

What about aging? Not less than 60 days if it is PGI unless it is expressly written "Aged" and then it means aged for 3 years.

Yes, 60 days.

Yes, 60 days even if it is dense.

Yes, 60 days even if the label says "12 rackings" or "25 full moon nights".

Yes, 60 days even if it is from a famous chef and a famous company, and even if it costs a lot.

If you want to delve deeper into why this happened, we invite you to explore the " A discordant bell " section and reconstruct the Balsamic Phenomenon over the last 50-60 years in Italy.

What does "Balsamic without Vinegar" mean?

It means it is produced

- 100% with cooked must

- from fresh organic grapes and not from concentrated must

- therefore from LOCAL grapes

- therefore double fermented and not mixed with wine vinegar

- therefore DEFINITELY aged for more than 60 days and in any case not at least 2 years, then you are in the right place.

How to choose?

It all depends what the end use is.

If you have to use Balsamic Vinegar for what it was, that is, an elixir, almost a medicine, to be tasted in purity, a precious gift: then we certainly recommend Balsamic Vinegar Tradizionali di Reggio Emilia DOP , where aging is expected to be MORE than 12 years, minimum .

If, however, you need a Balsamic that is more of a condiment, let's say "for every day", then we advise you to choose from our " Balsamics without vinegar " that you find below.