Traditional Balsamic Vinegar 25 Year Gold Label - Product not always available

The true Balsamic of the millenary tradition. What was once a "medicine", a remedy, an elixir. A Balm indeed, in its 100 ml bottle.

The gold label identifies REAL AND GUARANTEED aging of MORE THAN 25 years and the fact that the product has been awarded at least 300 points in the tasting by the tasting commission.

But how can I be sure of this aging?

Especially considering that our world, that of Balsamic, is all based on equivocal and often untruthful communication?

Aging is guaranteed by an external and third party to the manufacturer.

After checking the documents certifying that that bottle and that liquid has been present in the vinegar factory for all those years, he submits a product sample to professional tasting by a commission of five external tasters (again, not the producer!) who blindly must give scores according to quality. Not only that, after this tasting, he also takes care of bottling and sealing the cruets (not the manufacturer!).

There is no other product in the world that undergoes such a rigorous certification procedure.
What does it mean? It means that if the product has aged 18-20 or even 40 years, it is not necessarily good!

But above all, if we see the complexity of the aging method, characterized by continuous topping up and decanting (like the method solera ), there are so many variables at play (length of the series of barrels, size of the barrels, producer withdrawals, evaporation etc.), that in our opinion IT MAKES NO SENSE to fixate on the absolute years.

We must talk about quality brought by long and real aging, not about years as an end in themselves.

Our Traditional Balsamic Gold label comes from the oldest batteries, carefully kept for 3 generations now.

It is sold, like all Traditional Balsamics, in the official 100 ml DOP bottle called "inverted tulip". In the gift box we find, in addition to the Acetaia brochure which explains the differences between any Traditional and the Traditional San Giacomo, a recipe book in the language and, very important, the stopper with pourer with a blown glass "hood".

To find out how to open the bottle without risking breaking the cap and for other useful tips, scan the QR code you find on the brochure you will receive or read below:

1- do not remove the cap by leveraging the neck of the bottle but unscrew it gently.

2- it should not be kept in the refrigerator, on the contrary. It's fine at room temperature.

3- Extra-old, as in this case, is usually a very dense and full-bodied product. The density can sometimes reach that of certain honeys (obviously fluid) and like them it could also "crystallize". In this case: no panic. It is the extreme density (and the presence of glucose) that can give rise to this phenomenon which can be resolved by immersing the product in warm water.

4- DO NOT use it in cooking, ONLY raw. You would ruin 25 years of work

5- finally, the expiry date practically does not exist, just think that it has been stored for more than 25 years in open barrels placed in attics that are hot in summer and freezing in winter. In practice, in the bottle, thanks to its chemical-physical characteristics, it can last for decades

We think it is perfect on its own, at the end of a meal to restore the stomach and the spirit, pouring it into a non-metallic teaspoon, preferably plastic or porcelain . Ideally, to savor all its nuances, we recommend placing a few drops in a wine glass or in our beautiful Olfactory Chambers : tamarind, liquorice, dried fruit, dried plum, chocolate, tobacco, vanilla, wood, honey, black cherries, etc. etc...

Each bottle is different from the others.

Also excellent with cream or vanilla ice cream (or stracciatella), a creamy dessert or, as at our house, on a well-whipped and creamy pumpkin risotto.

NUTRITION FACTS for 5 ml:
Calories 26 Kcal, Total Fat 0 g ( Saturated Fat 0 g), Trans Fat 0 g, Cholesterol Less than 5mg, Sodium 1.9 mg, Total Carbohydrate 3.1 g, Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 7.2 g, Protein 0g .