We at Acetaia Fabbi believe that knowing how Balsamic Vinegar is made helps you to enjoy it even more. Knowing how Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO is made is part of a culture of taste that we are happy to pass on.
Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO is the result of thespecial pedoclimate characteristics and the variety of grapes typically grown in the Modena area, together with the art of must cooking and the annual refilling procedures from the casks of the vinegar cellars.
After the grapes have been crushed and even before fermentation starts, the musts are cooked in open boilers at room pressure until they reach a concentration of 30 to 50%, depending on the requirements of the vinegar cellar’s characteristics.

After a long decantation period, the cooked must begins a natural and simultaneous reaction of fermentation and acetic bioxidation through yeasts and acetobacteria.

The product then undergoes a transformation phase called maturation, which is of fundamental importance for the formation of the typical Balsamic aromas.

This is followed by the ageing phase during which the characteristics of the product achieve optimum ageing.

The three phases are carried out in a set of barrels made of different woods (oak, chestnut, mulberry and cherry) and of decreasing and variable volume.
Each type of wood gives the vinegar a particular characteristic: tannin-rich chestnut provides the dark colour, mulberry concentrates the product faster, cherry sweetens the flavour and oak, a precious wood for mature vinegar, gives it a typical vanilla aroma.

The different cask sizes are required to carry out annual refilling properly.
This consists of topping up the liquid in the barrels to the level of the previous barrel respectively, to compensate for drawing the finished product and the annual drop in volume due to evaporation.

These operations require skill and care in respecting the evolution of the product in order to ensure its optimum development over the coming centuries.

If knowing how Balsamic Vinegar is made has made you want to taste it, book a visit to our Vinegar Cellar or order a cruet!