White and dark balsamic vinegar can perk up everyday meals, beverages and even desserts. This all-natural product, imported from Modena, Italy contains no added sugars, no caramel colouring or thickeners.
Balsamic Vinegar from Modena is a very distinct vinegar that roots back to ancient Roman times. Instead of using wine like other Italian vinegars, the product is obtained by using the cooked juice of the grape, known as the “must”.
The balsamics are produced using the Solera method, a process for aging liquids by partial blending in such a way that the finished product is a fusion of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over many years.
The process begins with cooking the juice of high quality Trebbiano, Lambrusco, or Sauvignon grapes over an open wood fire until a brown, syrupy liquid with a noble grape smell is obtained. The cooked juice is then placed in exceptionally old wood barrels usually made out of oak, cherry, chestnut, ash or juniper.
Each barrel holds a progressively smaller volume and is left open to allow for evaporation. The barrels are then stored in an attic where seasonal climate changes determine the promptness of fermentation.
The juice is then aged up to twelve years following the Solera method. According to this method, as a portion of the vinegar evaporates, each barrel is topped off with younger vinegar from the previous barrel. This method calls for the continuous and consequent topping up of the cooked must into the next smaller barrel so each year the new must is blended with the one from the previous year.
Over the years, the flavors and aromas of the different types of woods are absorbed into the vinegar. The result of this aging process is a delicious, sweet, thick and rich balsamic vinegar with a unique and complex character. Make sure to try our Traditional style balsamic vinegar, aged up to 18 years and containing less than 4% acidity – it’s a staff and customer favourite!