🥃 Balsamic vinegar
Also known as: balsamic, balsamico
A dark, sweetish vinegar from cooked grape must from Modena.
Balsamic vinegar is a dark, slightly sweet vinegar made from boiled-down grape must. It comes from Modena and neighbouring Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. It is not wine but a product made from grapes.
The must is cooked until it thickens. Then it is aged for years in wooden barrels of different woods: oak, chestnut, cherry, ash and juniper. The vinegar is moved from barrel to smaller barrel. It slowly evaporates, thickens and gains aroma. The result is a dark, thick liquid with notes of dried fruit, wood and honey.
True traditional balsamic is aged at least 12 years, and the best 25 years or longer. It is expensive and used by the drop. There is also a simpler balsamic vinegar with wine vinegar added. It is cheaper and suits salads.
Balsamic vinegar is close to wine vinegar and to sapa, a thick syrup from must. It is one of the Italian products made from grapes. It is served with cheese, fruit and meat.
How it connects to Wine
🥃 Balsamic vinegar → kind of → 🥃 Grape products → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🥃 Grape products
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ Italian wine
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Wine vinegar, 🥃 Traditional balsamic vinegar, 🥃 Saba (sapa)
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that balsamic vinegar is a kind of wine vinegar?
Not quite. It comes from boiled grape must; only the simpler kind has wine vinegar added.
What notes does balsamic vinegar have?
Dried fruit, wood and honey.
What is sapa, and how does it relate to balsamic?
Sapa is a thick syrup from must, close to balsamic vinegar.
What to read next
- 🗺️ Italian wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grape varieties, appellations.
- 🥃 Saba (sapa) — A traditional Emilia-Romagna syrup of slowly cooked grape must.
- 🥃 Traditional balsamic vinegar — A thick aged vinegar from Modena or Reggio Emilia made only from cooked must.
Similar
🥃 Verjuice · 🥃 Grape syrup · 🥃 Pelamushi · 🥃 Grape seed oil · 🥃 Grape juice · 🥃 Moustalevria
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.