The region of Emilia Romagna since the Middleages, is where the production of the traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena and the traditional balsamic vinegar of Reggio Emilia occured.
Balsamic vinegar does not contain any balsam: the term “balsamic” derives from the Latin word “balsamum” and from the Greek word “βάλσαμον”, which are used in the sense of “restorative” or “curative”.
Both aceto balsamico di Modena and aceto balsamico di reggio Emila are protected by the Italian “Denominazione di origine protetta” of Italy and the “Protected designation of origin of the European Unit”
There are two consortia for balsamic vinegar: “Consortium for the protection of traditional balsamic vinegar from Reggio Emilia” and “Consorzio Tutela Aceto Balsamico di Modena”.
The first one includes 64 certified producers, the second one includes 50 companies.
The consortium for protection of balsamic vinegar of Modena has been founded in 2013 when the “Consorzio Aceto Balsamico di Modena”) and the “Consorzio Filiera Aceto Balsamico di Modena” decided to join together and founded a new consortium.
When people speak of balsamic vinegar, most of them think of the aceto balsamico di Modena, which is not the “Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena”. Balsamic vinegar of Modena is made with different proportions of cooked must and wine vinegar, which is never used in the traditional balsamic vinegar.
The traditional balsamic vinegar is produced in the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena because of the special climate of the area. There are extreme differences in temperature between the summers, which are very hot and the winters, which are bitter cold. These differences give the grape must the ability to ferment and maturate in the best way.
As we said, Aceto balsamico has to fermente, acetifie and then age for at least 12 years in wooden barrels. From there comes the complex flavour that balances the natural sweet and sour elements with a hint of wood.
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