Among the many traditional products of Modena, balsamic vinegar is one of the oldest, best known and most sought after. There are two types:
- Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP1, the most widespread, usually industrial vinegar, which does not require long ageing and which allows the use of different wine vinegars and cooked musts, the introduction of different additives (e.g. caramel) and raw materials from all over the world,
- Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP2, the most precious and rare vinegar, obtained by a long aging (at least 12 years) only of cooked grape must from the province of Modena.
A long history…
As early as 31 BC, Virgil wrote about the use of cooked grape must (sapum) as a medicine or seasoning.
Another attestation of Modena’s close relationship with the balsamic vinegar dates back to 1046 AD, when Henry II, King of Germany, on his way to Rome to be crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, sent a request to the Marquis Boniface III, father of Matilda of Canossa, for a small cask of “that vinegar which had been praised to him and which he had heard was made there most perfectly”. The vinegar must therefore have been already well known and just as precious, if it is true that the gift, which was “very dear to him”, was sent in a silver vase.
De aceto, quod marchio Bonefacius transmisit Heinrico regi secundo, et de grandi dono, quod quidam servus eius dedit eidem regi.
Magnifici vultus rex Italiamque secundus
Donizone, De Vita Mathildis, 1111-1116 d.C.
Venit Heinricus, sapiens, iocundus, opimus;
Mandavitque sua Bonefacio nova plura,
Et quoniam secum laudatum vellet acetum […].
The tradition of balsamic vinegar has also been passed down through the centuries even during the reign of the Este family: from the barrels of balsamic vinegar in the Palazzo Ducale Estense, the precious little bottles became rare gifts for illustrious people all over Europe, from Diego Velazquez to Ludovico Antonio Muratori, from Czarina Catherine the Great to Emperor Francis II.
The first mention of the adjective ‘balsamic’ dates back to 1747, when it was used in the cellar records of the Dukes of Este: they speak of ‘medium balsamic’, today’s Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, and ‘fine balsamic’, corresponding to Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.
And the tradition of balsamic vinegar, known in Modena simply as “vinegar” because there is hardly any other type of vinegar used, is still carried on by small and large producers and families.
How do you do it? With a lot of patience…
It begins with the harvesting of grapes (Lambrusco, Trebbiano and Ancellotta) grown and harvested exclusively in the province of Modena, which are gently pressed to obtain the must.
The must is cooked continuously over an open fire at 90°C for 10-16 hours.
Cooled and filtered, the must is only used to top up the first barrel of the battery.
The battery is a series of casks of decreasing volume, often made of different woods, in which the vinegar ages and progresses, with small annual decantings, from the largest casks (up to 50 litres) to the smallest (10 litres).
A battery usually consists of 5-7 casks, but the ‘imperial’ ones go up to 12 casks.
A small amount of traditional balsamic vinegar can be taken from the last barrel only after 12 long years. The wait is even longer for the ‘extravecchio’ (extra-aged) designation: in this case, you will have to wait at least 25 years.
Vinegar cellars are located in attics because the wide temperature range between cold winters and hot, humid summers creates the ideal conditions for yeasts and acetobacteria to mature and develop.
In addition, to promote oxygen exchange, the hole in the top of the casks is not closed, but covered with a simple gauze, held in place by a stopper (made of wood or stone).
Tasting balsamic vinegar
Traditional balsamic vinegar should be tasted at room temperature.
By candlelight, the flask is first used to make a visual and then an olfactory evaluation of the vinegar.
A ceramic or, at most, plastic spoon (not metal, which could alter the vinegar’s aromas) is used for taste evaluation.
A few drops of traditional balsamic vinegar on a slice of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese will make you appreciate two typical products of Modena.
The sweet-and-sour taste of vinegar also goes well with strawberries, or ice cream (fior di latte or cream).
Discover vinegar and vinegar cellars
In the attic of Modena’s Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall), a vinegar cellar consisting of three batteries was created in 2003. ‘Refined’ vinegar has been available since 2015, while ‘extra-aged’ will have to wait until 2028.
You can book a guided tour of the Municipal Vinegar Cellar on the Visit Modena website.
Even in the centre of Modena there are several places where you can discover balsamic vinegar through its producers: the Great Balsamic Vinegar Storehouse of Giuseppe Giusti in Piazza Grande, La Consorteria 1966 in Piazza Mazzini, the Acetaia Malpighi Showroom in Piazza Roma.
Many vinegar cellars belonging to the Consortium for the Protection of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena can be visited by reservation: a map of the vinegar cellars is available on the Consortium website.
In Spilamberto, a few kilometres from Modena, there is the Museum of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, with the possibility of a guided tour and tasting.
Fun facts
Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is easily recognisable by the small bottle in the shape of a spherical cruet with a rectangular base, which is the same for all producers. It was designed in 1987 by Giorgetto Giugiaro.
At the entrance to Spilamberto, on the road connecting the town to Modena, there is a sculpture called Drop. The essence, designed by Nadia Ugolini and Alessandro Zomparelli and made by Lunati Manufacturing Ideas. It represents a drop of balsamic vinegar.
Because of its unusual shape, the sculpture has been jokingly nicknamed ‘the enema’.
… and how does it differ from the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia?
The answer may seem strange, but it is just one: no way!
History, territory, tradition and production techniques are the same. It is therefore a single product, ‘which only human foolishness has wanted to distinguish’. [Vincenzo Ferrari Amorotti, 2009]
(but don’t tell that to a Modenese or Reggiano: the rivalry between the two towns is still very much alive and each considers its own vinegar to be the best!)
- IGP is an EU label of origin awarded to agricultural products and foodstuffs of a certain quality, depending on their geographical origin ↩︎
- DOP is a legally protected designation granted by the European Union to foodstuffs whose specific quality characteristics are essentially or exclusively due to the area of production. All stages of production, processing and preparation must take place in a defined geographical area according to strict rules. ↩︎