A brief guide to balsamic vinegar • There are two types of Balsamic Vinegar - Traditional - Commercial Both are produced under the strict rules of two separate consortium. • Traditional Balsamic This is produced by small artesian producers in Modena using only grape must. All their product is delivered to the consortium "Traditional consorzio". The total volume produced of this traditional Balsamic vinegar is approx 5.000 litres p.a. It is available only in the personalized "Giugiaro" designed 100 ml bottles and is designated either minimum 12 years old or minimum 25 years old ("extra vecchio"). It cannot be sold until it is al least 12 years old. • Commercial Balsamic Vinegar This is the product most widely available and its production is governed by the consortium "Consorzio Aceto Balsamico di Modena". All the major companies, including ORTALLI, Belong to this consortium and in fact Andrea Ortalli is on the consortium board. All commercial Balsamic vinegar is a blend of grape must and wine vinegar and has to achieve an acidity of 6%. The density at 20°C is commonly used as an indicator of the level of grape must - the higher the density the better. Preparation and aging rules for commercial balsamic vinegar states that the product must be kept in wooden containers for a minimum of 2 months. Consortium members with such products can use the RED CABM SEAL. . Members who can prove that their product has been aged for no less than 3 years can use the WHITE CABM SEAL (Aged) with the denomination "Invecchiato". After 3 years in wooden barrels the acidity level of commercial balsamic vinegar begins to fall below the required 6% level. To increase acidity more wine vinegar is added; after a period of time so much wine vinegar is added that the product tastes like wine vinegar. For this reason it makes no sense to talk about greater ageing! • Labelling The consortium rules state: "It is forbidden to add to the denomination "Aceto Balsamico di Modena" the following qualifications - "extra", "fine", "chosen", "selected", "reserve", "superior" or "classic". In the presentation of the product it is forbidden to make any reference to the years of production". Labels that do not comply with the consortium rules can be used until 30th April 2002. Explanation of the main analytical parameters for evaluating Balsamic Vinegars of Modena Density(20/20°C) Specific weight at 20°C. This is an index of quality because it is an indication of the percentage of cooked grape must used in the blend; the higher the density the higher the pecentage of grape must. Total Sugar(gr/l) The sugar naturally contained in grapes (i.e. Glucose and Fructose not Sucrose) Total dry exctract (gr/l) Residue after the water content has been evaporated. Reduced dry extract (gr/l) REDUCED DRY EXTRACT=TOTAL DRY EXTRACT-TOTAL SUGARS. The legal minimum is 30. This is an important indication of quality of the product. In simple terms, for a genuine product, the higher the TOTAL SUGAR value the higer the reduced dry extract value. In fact, if a balsamic vinegar has a high TOTAL SUGAR value (for example 330) but a low REDUCED DRY EXTRACT value (say 35 instead of 45/50) this would indicate either: The addition of sugars that are not naturally present in grapes (eg. Sucrose) Or: The use of grapes that are not authorised by the Consortium.