Italian News Headlines 06-12-2024: A museum dedicated to Lord Byron is set to open in a house in Ravenna, where the English poet conducted a love affair with the aristocratic owner's wife --- Via Montenapoleone, in Milan, has overtaken New York's Fifth Avenue, to become the most expensive retail destination in 2024, according to a report be real estate group, Cushman & Wakefield --- Matilde Lorenzi, 19 year old Italian junior ski champion, has died following a crash while training in northern Italy --- Italian doctors in Turin have saved the sight of a baby in a surgical procedure that used 3D technology in a world first --- Italian yacht, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, loses to Ineos Brittania in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Series in Barcelona --- Salvatore (Totò) Schillaci, FIFA World Cup winner in 1990, has died at the age of 59. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2022 --- Charles Leclerc wins at Monza for Ferrari in Italian F1 Grand Prix --- 7 dead as luxury, Italian-built superyacht sinks off the north coast of Sicily --- Controversy as tennis no.1, Jannik Sinner, is cleared of doping charges

Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic Vinegar has been produced in the towns of Modena and Reggio Emilia (both in the region of Emilia Romagna, Italy) since the Middle Ages and it is still prepared there in the same traditional manner. To be certain that you are buying the real thing make sure the bottle has a label stating either 'Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena' or 'Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia'. There is a cheaper version available, thankfully, which is what most of us use for salad dressings and other everyday uses and this will have a label with 'Aceto Balsamico di Modena' on it but is not true Balsamic Vinegar.

True Balsamic Vinegar is highly prized, expensive and like liquid magic. Just a few drops can change and lift a variety of dishes from simple starters to rich and luxurious desserts. It is easy to see why it costs so much as it is prepared with flawless accuracy and takes many years to produce.

Balsamic vinegar is made from grape 'must' which is the freshly pressed juice of complete bunches of grapes, including the skins, pips and stems. White 'Trebbiano' grapes used, which are native to Modena, but sometimes 'Grasparossa' or 'Ancellotta Lambruscos' grapes are added if they qualify. These grapes all have similar characteristics with a constant sugar-acid ratio and density. They are boiled and then simmered down to about 30% of their original volume leaving a concentrated, dark syrup. This process caramelises the sugar in the grapes which gives the vinegar its characteristic rich, dark colour. In Italy this thick liquid is referred to as 'mosto cotto' which literally means boiled grape must.

The fermenting or ageing process can now begin. This is done in a set of seven wooden barrels, all made from a different type of wood, typically acacia, ash, cherry, chestnut, mulberry, oak and rosemary, to impart different flavours into the vinegar. The barrels decrease in size, usually from 50 litres down to 15 litres, and each has an inspection hole on the top.

The mosto cotto is blended and then left to mature during which time it evaporates a great deal leaving a very concentrated juice. This fermentation process starts off in the largest of the barrels and as the liquid diminishes it is removed to the next until it finally reaches the smallest. The product is inspected and tasted at regular intervals over the years by specialist vinegar producers. This ageing process takes at least 12 years but can take 25 years or more at which point it is referred to as 'extravecchio' which means extra old. The flavour of the vinegar intensifies until it eventually becomes a very sweet, viscous concentrate which is not really like vinegar at all.

In both Modena and Reggio Emilia the age of the vinegar is signified by the packaging. In Modena they have different coloured caps, red for 12 years and cream for 25 years or more. Reggio Emilia has different coloured labels, red for 12 years, silver for 18 years and gold for 25 years or more.

The Best Italian Handmade Gifts
Direct From Italy

Matilde (black) - Ingeniously designed leather wallet

More Details

Other pages you might like
Newsletter
Enter your email address below to receive our free newsletter, 'I Love Italy'. It provides a captivating glimpse into the allure of 'The Bel Paese', containing extracts from our most recent articles, a window on Italian news, fashion, music and culture, useful information for visiting and living in Italy as well as our latest, delicious Italian recipes.

Subscribers are also entitled to a 10% discount on purchases from our sister-site, Italy Gifts Direct.

We will not use your email address for any other purpose or pass it on to any other organisation and you can unsubscribe from this service at any time.