The best balsamic vinegar must fulfill the following parameters:
- meet consumers’ expectations of quality and price;
- be authentic, natural, and healthy.
In the Italian region of Emilia Romagna, where the tradition of balsamic vinegar dates to the Middle Ages, the best balsamic vinegar comes down to a specific processing method of locally cultivated and harvested grapes. There are only two official processing methods, resulting in Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia PDO and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI. Over the years, a heartfelt dispute has risen over what is considered to be the absolute best balsamic vinegar, between radical proponents of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP (or of Reggio Emilia), made with 100% grape must and aged for at least 12 years, and the innovators who advocate Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI, made with grape must combined with old vinegar, wine vinegar, caramel, finally aged up to 3 year or more.
The controversy is rooted in the alleged and questionable differences between these two varieties of balsamic vinegar: on the one hand, traditional balsamic vinegar is the purest and rarest kind and therefore produced in limited quantities, while the nontraditional balsamic is based on more flexible quality and end-use standards and is made and marketed in larger batches. As for traditional balsamic vinegar, every year in the area of Modena and Reggio Emilia, various contests and competitions award prizes for the best balsamic vinegar based on several categories (i.e., best aged, best texture, best flavor, best balance, etc.) and assessed by juries of tasters. Although locals refer to balsamic competitions to find the best balsamic vinegar to try and buy, international shoppers are unlikely to be influenced in the same way and may need some advice on how to choose the best balsamic vinegar.
How do you pick the best balsamic vinegar?
Unless one has in-depth knowledge of the brands and products, it is not easy to narrow the wide selection of balsamic Italian condiments to the best balsamic vinegar.The package label is a key element that carries all the details about the balsamic vinegar you are buying. Together with it, the following should also be considered:
- PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) vs PGI (protected Geographical Identification) seals
- Ingredients
- Visual inspection for texture and thickness
- Selling price
PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) seals
Depending on the processing method used, balsamic vinegar bears a PDO (yellow and red) or a PGI (yellow and blue) seal. Details on the production method of balsamic vinegar are provided here and the key parts are highlighted below. Note, however, that both ranges of balsamic vinegar, PDO and PGI, are high quality products.
Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
As for the Protected Designation of Origin processing method, the corresponding product is the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO or the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia PDO. This ancient and history-rich balsamic delicacy is made with unfermented grape must and is aged for at least 12 years in small barrels made of fine wood. Production, including bottling and labeling, are made exclusively in the Italian area of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
The production method with Protected Geographical Identification involves the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI. This modern range of balsamic vinegar is made with a mixture of cooked must, wine vinegar and vinegar at least 10 years old, with a limited percentage of caramel. It is matured for a minimum of 60 days (or at least 3 years in the case of aged balsamic vinegar) and its production takes place within the areas of Modena and Reggio Emilia, except forbottling and labeling that is also made elsewhere. The best balsamic vinegars bear the PDO or the PGI seals.
Ingredients
Depending on the method of production, the ingredients of balsamic vinegar change. As mentioned above, the PDO versioncomes from musts made with 100% indigenous grapes from the local area of Modena and Reggio Emilia, while the PGI version also includes ten years-old balsamic vinegar, wine vinegar and caramel. The quality of balsamic vinegar goes hand in hand with authenticity, so the fewer ingredients, the better the balsamic vinegar, and if grape must comes first, or alone, it is definitely a good start. While looking for the best balsamic vinegar, one should also check the overall amount of caramel and artificial flavors, which may be overused to get a richer flavor and color of a non-PGI, poor quality balsamic vinegar.
Visual inspection for texture and thickness
Balsamic vinegar is packaged in clear glass bottles so that users can inspect its consistency, color and thickness. This does not mean that balsamic vinegar should be syrupy and thick but neither should it be too liquid. By rotating the bottle against the light, the balsamic vinegar should leave visible traces of coating on the inside glass wall of the bottle as evidence of regular texture.
Selling price
As a rule, premium quality balsamic vinegar costs more.In fact, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO is more expensive, being the result of long processing and aging times and, as such, produced in smaller and rarer batches. This implies a higher price tag and a sparing use of it. Within the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI segment, on the other hand, there is a wider variety of products, as reported in this article, with a lower average price that varies according to the amount of authentic balsamic vinegar added to a given condiment.
How to find the best balsamic vinegar
Buying balsamic vinegar is very similar to buying wine. The origin, the grapes, the years of aging, and the processing method are all important factors that affect the final quality of balsamic vinegar. In order to pick the best balsamic vinegar to buy, you should look carefully at the list of ingredients and the seals on the bottles, such as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO, or DOP in Italian) and Protected Geographical Identification (PGI or IGP in Italian). One must also consider that Balsamic Vinegar from Modena PGI can also be bottled and labeled outside the balsamic vinegar production area, so the producer may not be Italian. The Traditional Balsamic Vinegar PDO, instead, can only be bottled and labeled in the Italian area of Modena and Reggio Emilia and the numbers of aging years cannot be made explicit on the label.
Amazon’s best balsamic vinegar
Amazon.com is a benchmark for online shopping, and balsamic vinegar is no exception.Below are the top three rankings resulting from the following search queries:
- balsamic vinegar (English)
- aceto balsamico (Italian)
The results below are useful to understand what is the best balsamic vinegar for online shoppers:
- VILLA MANODORI Balsamic Vinegar Of Modena, 8.5 FZ
- Lucini Italia Savory Fig Balsamico Artisan Vinegar – Italian Balsamic Vinegar – Aged Balsamic Vinegar from Modena Italy – Non-GMO Verified, Whole30 Approved, 250mL
- Colavita White Balsamic Vinegar, 17 Ounce
- Trader Giotto’s Gold – Aceto Balsamico di Modena – 8.5oz/250ml
- Giusti Balsamic Vinegar set – Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamico Di Modena and White Balsamic Vinegar – Aged Balsamic – Made in Italy
- Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena – 25 Years (100 ml)
When opening the linked product sheets, not all items come with a detailed description of the balsamic vinegar and clear pictures showing their labels and seals, with ingredients and geographical identification. As a result, the more informed a shopper is about the quality, flavor, price, use and type of balsamic product they want to purchase, the easier it is for them to put all the elements together to eventually find the best balsamic vinegar that meets their needs.