If ever there was a food fad that didn't do the original product any good, it's balsamic vinegar. All you need to know is that while Americans consume over several million bottles a year, Italy releases only 9,500 liters of the genuine traditional liquor annually, made by 55 producers only, all from the Modena area.

Traditionally balsamic vinegar can cost $200 or more for 100 milliliters, a 3.4 ounce bottle.  Monari Federzoni Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, one of the best-selling supermarket brands, is less than $5 for 500 ml. And perfectly good it is too, used as a general wine vinegar.

But proper balsamico is not your ordinary vinegar. It's thick as syrup and black as treacle.  Genuine balsamic is created by aging grape juice (not wine) made exclusively from the Trebbiano grape. The process takes over a dozen years or more (following an initial three-year fermentation process), in a series of casks in different woods whose flavors will infuse the vinegar. It is only used by the drop.

To be awarded the "tradizionale" label, Balsamico Tradizionale must be aged 12 years. For the gold label, 25 years. It has to meet standards set by the Consortium for the Preservation of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Modena, regulated under European Union law.

There are balsamicos that boast that they are 50 years old or more. But beware: just like wine, balsamico is volatile and doesn't always keep so long. You may find you've bought a bottle full of sludge.

Genuine traditional, artisanal balsamico can cost tens - or even hundreds - of dollars. Check the label to make sure the word 'tradizionale' appears.

Condimento Balsamico is cheaper than Balsamico Tradizionale but more expensive than balsamic vinegar. This is most likely the version you will be offered in restaurants to sprinkle on your cheese plate. It's made from 60 percent balsamico that may be made with grapes other than the Trebbiano grapes and will have been aged for as few as three years. To this is added 40 percent of red wine. Good examples can be had for between $15 and $30.

Any industrial condiment can describe itself 'balsamic vinegar of Modena'. Unaged, that's what we buy for a few dollars in supermarkets.

Of these three types, only 'Tradizionale' - 'traditional' - balsamic vinegar is the genuine article its artisanal creators intend.

You can cheat by reducing cheap supermarket balsamic, boiling it down hard to half its volume. But it only gives you a limited indication of the real thing.

Liquor stores are often a good source for the genuine article, like Cleveland Park Wine & Liquor. But Dean & DeLuca, Sur La Table and Whole Foods sell the stuff that by its very high price demonstrates its pedigree.

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Posted on Wednesday 07th May 2008 in Mediterranean, Information

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1. Denominazione di Origine Protetta

   What is DOP Certification for Balsamic Vinegar?
   DOP certification "Denominazione di Origine Protetta", or Protected Designation of Origin, is granted to select balsamic vinegar makers in the Modena province in Italy.
   When you select a DOP certified product, you are assured that it is the product of a unique tradition and culture, guaranteeing the highest unadulterated quality with unrivaled flavor.
   
   http://www.dolceterra.com/search_results_food_aceto.asp?txtsearchParamTxt=&txtsearchParamCat=6&txtsearchParamType=ALL&txtsearchParamMan=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch&iLevel=2&subcat=62