Acetum Balsamic Vinegar Facility Tour - Modena, Italy
On May 14th, 2024, we woke up early to head out to Acetum (Ah-chee-tomb) for a tour of their properties. This was a unique experience, because they supply our supplier Veronica Foods with the balsamic we bring in for our store. And yes, we had to dress up in the "fun" outfits because it's a working facility.
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Within the Acetum Mazzetti facilities, there are 20 million litres of PGI (protected) Balsamic Vinegar aging! Larger barrels can contain 80,000 litres. They export to 80 different countries. During the tour, Martina kept reminding us that along with the grapes, balsamic vinegar needs three main ingredients: time, patience & passion! And we definitely felt that as we took in everything with awe.•
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There are 5 labs that determine the quality of the grape must. The must is analyzed before receiving AND after the aging process.•
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Among the numerous barrels of balsamic, we were introduced to one named "Hercules", which holds 270,000 L of balsamic vinegar 
(Pictured below, us standing in front of it for size comparison). We also got to try some, of course, and learned even more about tasting the "black gold of Italy" and getting the most out of it, which we will be bringing that knowledge back to the store for our customers to experience! 
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One thing that blew us away was the hospitality of our guides Martina and Matteo, as the tour was supposed to be 1.5 hours, and it ended up being 3!
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