'Lusciously dense': The prized balsamic vinegars made from Lambrusco grapes

Given the recent surge in popularity of Emilia Romagna’s sparkling red Lambrusco wines, it may come as a surprise to discover that those same grapes are behind many of the region’s celebrated balsamic vinegars.

Velvety smooth, lusciously dense and a glossy deep brown, even just a drop of Modena’s Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale DOP (traditional balsamic vinegar PDO, meaning protected designation of origin) makes a memorable taste experience, thanks to its kaleidoscope of intense aromas and seductive combination of sweetness and acidity.

Delicious alone, it’s even more astonishing with Parmigiano Reggiano DOP cheese, pumpkin-filled pasta or creamy gelato.

It’s more than just a sensory treat, however, and getting to know traditional balsamic vinegar is to experience deeply ingrained, ancient family traditions.

While the modern balsamic vinegar boom began in the 1990s, it’s been considered a prized product for centuries, if not millennia – the Romans appreciated the superior aromatic qualities of Modena’s vinegar, and it was a coveted and prestigious gift among the nobility in medieval and Renaissance Europe.

DOP vinegar is easily confused with the very different (and much cheaper – see below) Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP (indicazione geografica protetta / protected geographic origin), due to its similar, rather long-winded name – Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP; while its equally excellent yet lesser-known counterpart from neighbouring city Reggio Emilia is Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia DOP.

How DOP traditional balsamic vinegar is made

Both Modena’s ABTM and Reggio Emilia’s ABTRE have a single ingredient: grape juice that’s been cooked at no less than 80°C and aged in wooden barrels for at least 12 years.

Grapes are local varieties, usually Lambrusco or Trebbiano.

Production, traditionally in the attics of family homes, follows a perpetual solera-style system with ‘batteries’ of generally five or more barrels of decreasing sizes made of one or more wood types, according to producer preference: oak, ash, chestnut, mulberry, acacia, juniper or cherry – the latter two having the most influence on the vinegar’s flavour profile.

Barrels are often decades or centuries old and have a linen-covered window; once a year, each barrel is topped up from the previous to replenish the volume lost through evaporation.

The battery’s largest barrel is topped up from the so-called ‘mother barrel’, which hosts the natural acetobacter that transforms the fermented cooked grape juice into vinegar.

After a minimum of 12 years, or 25 for the extravecchio category, a sample from the smallest barrel is submitted to the consorzio (representative association) for sensorial and analytical testing, and bottled exclusively in the specific standard bottle with an official seal.

ABTM uses a rectangular-based bottle with a spherical core, while ABTRE has an elegant tulip-shaped bottle.

With justifiably high price tags, bottles come with a so-called ‘friendship saver’ pourer to dispense just a drop at a time. The age-old custom of starting a battery for a new baby is a precious investment for the next generation.

The other type: IGP Balsamic vinegar of Modena

Much more acidic and youthful than the DOP product, the IGP variant, despite its name, can be made in both Modena and Reggio Emilia.

It’s a blend of wine vinegar and cooked grape juice, and a little caramel may be added for colour.

Ageing in this case is in a single wooden container for a minimum of 60 days, though a five-year Riserva category has recently been introduced.

Balsamic trail: Producers to visit in Modena

Modena tasting hub: La Consorteria 1966

Many families open their balsamic vinegar attics to visitors, and on Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini in central Modena, La Consorteria 1966 offers comparative and blind tastings from different producers.

Acetaia di Canossa

The historic château-style Venturini Baldini estate, at Tenuta di Roncolo about 10km southwest of the city, is home to one of Reggio Emilia’s most ancient vinegar attics.

Try its ABTRE traditional balsamic vinegar, made with estate-grown Lambrusco grapes, as well as the range of still and sparkling wines (the Montelocco Lambrusco Rosso is listed by Abel & Cole and Vintage Roots at £16-£16.50).

Dine at Ristorante Limonaia, and stay at the elegant 17th-century Villa Manodori hotel.

Acetaia di Giorgio

Giorgio’s attractive family acetaia, started by nonna Maria in 1860 when the villa near Parco Enzo Ferrari, just outside central Modena, was built, is now cared for by his son-in-law Marcello.

Only traditional balsamic vinegar (ABTM) is produced, including memorable cherry and juniper wood versions (€70/100ml), using own-grown Lambrusco Sorbara grapes.

Acetaia Pedroni

Sixth-generation Giuseppe Pedroni opts for white Trebbiano di Spagna grapes for the ABTM made for more than 160 years at his family’s countryside tavern in Rubbiara, about 7km east of central Modena.

Book a morning visit and stay for lunch of home-made ricotta-filled pasta and gelato, both with balsamic vinegar (Liberty Wines imports some lines to the UK), and their own Sorbara and Salamino Lambrusco wines.

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