Harvesting, Pressing, Cooking and Ageing

These are the four production phases of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena PDO

Grapes, must, cooked must

The must obtained through soft pressing is cooked for many hours until it reaches the right concentration.

Mother Barrels

Left to ferment, the cooked must is stored in special wooden casks, known as Mother Barrels, in which the natural acetification reaction begins.

Battery

From the Mother Barrels the vinegar is left to mature and age in a series of small wooden barrels, known as the “Battery”, which consists of at least 5 barrels of decreasing volume and is the production unit of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena PDO.

Decanting

Thanks to the annual decanting operations that transfer small quantities of the product to the next smallest barrel, and so on for all of the barrels, various microbiological reactions develop and take place in the Battery: over a minimum of 12 years, it is these reactions that create an extremely complex and highly aromatic product with a surprising balance of sweet and sour notes and an incredibly persistent aftertaste. Notable for its remarkable qualities, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena PDO is even more extraordinary after at least 25 years of ageing, when it becomes “Extravecchio”.

Decanting

In the different batteries that make up the vinegar loft, the process is followed and monitored with careful application, year after year, of the time-honoured annual decanting procedure.

Time

Time is the producer’s biggest friend. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale acquires its organoleptic complexity after at least 12 years of ageing, but only after at least 25 years is it able to boast the aromatic sophistication of Extravecchio.

Conformity tasting

Even if correctly applied, not always are the production processes able to guarantee the high levels of quality required by the Production Specifications within the envisaged timeframes. In fact, for this reason, to be bottled and therefore certified as Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena PDO, the product must be approved by a committee of expert tasters.

The bottle: guarantee of Excellence

Only from excellent cooked must, via a slow acetification process and following the centuries-old procedure of long ageing in the battery, is it possible to obtain the typical sensory complexity of the vinegar. The intense aroma and incredible persistence of the aftertaste cannot be achieved by speeding up the process or using modern technologies.

But when the authentic product acquires its typical characteristics, it really is able to amaze and bewitch the senses.

Authenticity and Guarantee

There are lots of imitations of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale
but on the palate none of them have the organoleptic complexity of the original product.

Acutely aware of this, back in 1978 the Modena Chamber of Commerce commissioned famous designer Giorgetto Giugiaro to create a bottle that would symbolise and guarantee the originality of the product. Since then, authentic Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena PDO has been recognisable for Giugiaro’s exclusive 100 ml bottle, mandatory for all producers, which can only be filled at a centre authorised by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture.

But when the authentic product acquires its typical characteristics, it really is able to amaze and bewitch the senses.