What to Know About Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar completes the holy trinity of Emilia Romagna's most profound culinary traditions, along with Parmigiano Reggiano and Lambrusco. Enjoyed by Romans and deeply connected to Modena's culture and history, Aceto Balsamico di Modena is produced from fermented grape must with the addition of aged vinegar and wine vinegar, and aged in wood. With its intense brown hue and delicate, persistent aroma, balsamic vinegar features a harmonic acidity that tempers its sweetness.

To learn a little more about this product, we spoke with Claudio Stefani Giusti, the 17th generation to oversee Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamico Giuseppe Giusti, founded in 1605. When to balsamic vinegar production, Acetaia Giusti respects the past while looking toward the future.

The acetaia's ​Historical collection ​is its most iconic and representative. The five Balsamic Vinegars of Modena PGI are realized from different recipes and aging mechanisms, and classified with the number of medals won in the World Expos of the late 19th century. There is no limit to balsamic vinegar aging. Every year a tiny amount of “extra-old” balsamic vinegar is removed from the ancient casks, and a part of it is used to enrich the Historical Collections while another part, the most refined, is used to create the reserve, which led to the ​Great Ageing ​collection. Among these products, Traditional is the finest exemplification of Balsamic Vinegar. It's made of cooked grape must and aged using the old Solera method, which allows for the blending of all the different notes from the woods. The ​Traditional undergoes a minimum of 12 years of aging and the ​Extra-Old​ a minimum of 25 years. Last but not least, ​Giusti Reserve​, produced every year in incredibly small quantities and extracted from cherished barrels dating back to the 1700s.

So, on that note, here are five curiosities about the Oro Nero di Modena (Black Gold of Modena), as balsamic vinegar was called during Renaissance.

The Value of Casks

The golden rules for obtaining balsamic vinegar, perfected in 1863 by Giuseppe Giusti and then regulated by the territory, are based on three fundamental principles: grape choice, cask quality, and time. Acetaia Giusti can rely on a historical battery of barrels like no one else in the world: 600 casks dating back to 1700 and 1800, still working perfectly today.

Claudio Giusti explains how starting to make balsamic vinegar today with new casks makes it much harder to obtain the necessary woody aroma. "If you start from old casks, you have the advantage of using a wood already macerated together with the vinegar, which gives back its scents and aromas. Every time I take two liters of vinegar from the last barrel, which has been in the battery for 150 years, I'm taking vinegar that is already very good."

Each type of wood gives the vinegar unique aromas and characteristics: chestnut, rich in tannins, gives the classic dark colors; cherry wood sweetens the taste; juniper enhances the resinous essences; oak gives the typical vanilla aromas. The older the cask, the more intense the aromas and strength of balsamic vinegar.

The Master Vinegar Maker

The figure of the Maestro Acetiere is essential for the various phases of production, from the careful selection of the grapes to the cooking system, and above all, the great complexity of the aging process, with casks of various woods and sizes. The Master Acetiere has a great nose and a great insight to ensure a positive outcome for each phase, eventually intervening. He occupies a fundamental role, attentive to the owner family's tradition, which is said to prepare the balsamic vinegar for the next one. "Those who produce wine call an enologist to make the best product. For balsamic vinegar, on the other hand, the skill lies in the experience of the family," says Claudio Giusti.

The temperature

Inevitable comparison between wine production and balsamic vinegar is distinguished by the fundamental difference in temperature: cellars for wine and rooftops for balsamic vinegar. All vinegar cellars are located in the attic, where the temperature difference between summer and winter helps maturation and aging. These two processes create magic, together with a system of decanting and repacking, from the mother cask (where the second acetic fermentation takes place, thanks to which all the alcohol is lost) to the smallest cask, the guardian of the black gold. After 12 years of waiting (and of work), the affinato is obtained and after 25 years the extravecchio.

Versatility

Balsamic vinegar belongs to the local culinary tradition. Families from Modena use the less aged one daily on meat or vegetables, in salads, or on ice cream, for example. The most classic and successful coupling is with Parmigiano Reggiano, Claudio Giusti confirms. Of course, if you use balsamic vinegar aged 25 years or more, the palate's success is more tremendous, but basically, the substance is the same. "It is still balsamic vinegar," stresses the expert.

This versatility concept is so strong for the Giusti family that for a few years now, they have established an international event on May 16, during which chefs from all over the world prepare a recipe based on balsamic vinegar.

Not only balsamic vinegar

Producing balsamic vinegar today seems anachronistic compared to today's fast-paced times. Claudio Giusti specifies that innovation is necessary to respect company times. As a result, complementary products are born, such as balsamic vinegar-based condiments in combos with different flavors from cherry to raspberry, for example. Or balsamic vinegar pearls, based on the concept of molecular cuisine. 

Then there are the numerous collaborations with local artisans, such as a master chocolatier for chocolates with balsamic vinegar ganache, for example. Even the panettone boasts of this excellence. "It starts with balsamic vinegar cream in the dough, with attention given to the leavening, with raisins left to macerate in the same balsamic vinegar. We are talking about high-intensity aged products with a strong sweet component, of course," says the vinegar maker. 

Just in time for Easter comes the brand new Colomba Giusti with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI. The recipe contains Aceto Balsamico Giusti 3 Medaglie d'Oro (Giusti Golden Medals Balsamic Vinegar) to enrich the dough and macerate the raisins, which are thus more fragrant and aromatic. It's also added to the cream for a sweet and sour filling. The cake's soft and airy dough emphasizes the aromatic complexity of balsamic vinegar, which is combined with surprising harmony to the intense notes of dark chocolate in the coating.

On the beverage front, there's Vermouth Giusti. "We discovered that bartenders were putting balsamic vinegar in cocktails, hence the interest in entering this new world. In collaboration with a Vermouth producer, the very successful experiment is based on aging in our antique barrels." And so the Negroni Giusti was born.