Getting to Know Authentic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI
Balsamic vinegar is perhaps the most famous vinegar across the world — its production can be traced all the way back to ancient Rome. An elixir, or balm (the probable Latin root of balsamic’s name) was first used medicinally, then as precious gift, as documented in 1046. While travelling through the territory of the Po Plain, Henry III, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, was given a “very perfect vinegar” by Marquis Bonifacio, father of Matilde of Canossa.
Towards the end of the 13th century, the art of the production of this already unique vinegar was cultivated at the Este Court, a royal palace in Modena, Italy. It wasn’t until 1747, that this vinegar became “balsamico”, making its first appearance in the registers of the cellars of the Dukes of Este. It was there, in Modena, that everything really began — and it’s only in Modena and Reggio Emilia, the other city that was part of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio Emilia, that the original product is still made today.
The production specifications, in fact, require that the assembly of raw materials, processing, maturation and/or ageing in containers from precious wood, must take place in the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia — nowhere else.
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is a product of a place, of territory — and there are laws surrounding its production. Grape must (juice) must be cooked and concentrated, and the grapes come from just seven traditional varieties: Lambrusco, Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Albana, Ancellotta, Fortana and Montuni. To this mixture, at least 10% wine vinegar must be added, and an amount of at least 10-year-old aged vinegar. When a 60-day maturation stage, in wooden vats, has been completed, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI (Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP) can be further aged. If this phase lasts over three years, the finished product can boast the “Aged” classification; if it continues for more than five years, the finished product can be labelled as “Riserva”
In 1933, the Minister of Agriculture Giacomo Acerbo acknowledged the “age-long and characteristic industry of Balsamic Vinegar in the Modena area”. A few decades later, in 1965, balsamic’s specifications were published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale, classifying its preparation. The Consorzio Tutela Aceto Balsamic di Modena was formed in 1993, recognizing a group of producers as Protected Geographical Indication, or PGI — a designation that still holds true today. In 1998 the Consortium issued its first regulations, protecting consumers, guaranteeing that what they bought was truly Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, and not a knock-offs, of which were increasing worldwide!
Today, every bottle of the authentic product must bear the words Aceto Balsamico di Modena, together with the Protected Geographical Indication. Moreover, producers associated with the Protection Consortium are allowed to display the Consortium logo on the label.
After years of efforts, in close collaboration with the MIPAAF (Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies), the PGI certification for Balsamic Vinegar of Modena was granted by the European authorities on July 3rd, 2009. In the past 16 years, the Protection Consortium has been on a mission to defend markets against imitation through education, of which this article is the beginning of many on VinegarProfessor.com.
Though steeped in tradition, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena has moved past its territory of origin, offering pairing and further food associations around the globe, as a point of acidity in many sauces, mixed into cocktails for a tasty and layered effect, even gracing the top of ice creams and sorbets, demonstrating its versatility across a wide range of dishes and cuisines. Modena Balsamic Vinegar’s uses shouldn’t be limited to what has been done before; here you can learn how every bottle of Aceto Balsamico di Modena PGI holds new culinary possibilities