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Gourmet Vinegars
When we produce our gourmet flavoured oils and vinegars, we use only the highest quality herbs and spices available. We create each bottle by hand, in small batches, in a strikingly beautiful package. As these lines grow in popularity, the volume that we produce increases and we are able to lower our costs of production. The result is a high quality, excellent value, gourmet product line that even the most discriminating gourmands appreciate!
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Vineger History (Back to the Top)
Thousands of years ago, a courtier in Babylonia a discovery that grape juice left undisturbed, turns to a pleasantly intoxicating liquid – wine. Shortly after that discovery another even more auspicious discovery followed; wine left undisturbed and exposed to air, turns to vinegar, but it took a long time for cooks to incorporate this acid ingredient into their daily use for sauces, pickles, salad dressings and marinades.Vinegar is mentioned in the Bible -- in the Book of Ruth and in Proverbs. It is also specifically called for in the making of haroseth in Pesachim, a section of the Talmud. Vinegar was known to the Egyptians and it was drunk by Caesar's armies. Hippocrates prescribed the drinking of vinegar for his patients in ancient Greece. It would appear that in all the places that we have seen the production of wine or beer in the ancient world, we also find the production of vinegar.
Babylonians soon found out vinegar’s preservative powers when sued in pickling. Assyrians, ancient Greeks, Romans, and Cleopatra found many uses for vinegar. Today vinegar is used as an ingredient in many recipes, as well as industrial products. It is a disinfectant, can be used for window cleaning, as a descaler of coffee pots, stain remover, deodorant, hair conditioner, cat repellent, and weed killer.
In industry, vinegar is employed in the production of textiles, plastics, fabrics, photographic materials, dyes, pharmaceuticals, and branded households items.
Vinegar production is relatively easy, but quality can only be achieved with primary ingredient of superior taste and potential to develop to an even better product.
Once can produce vinegar easily by adding sugar to water, and fermenting it by introducing yeast to the solution. Once yeast have converted all the sugar to alcohol, leave the liquid undisturbed and soon airborne acetobacter will find it, converting alcohol to acetic acid. In industrial production, the least expensive alcohol base is injected with oxygen to speed up the conversion. White vinegar essentially lacks taste – it contains acetic acid at a certain ( 4 – 5 % ) concentration.
All vinegars are filtered for clarity and most are pasteurized for safety.
The speed of vinegar production depends on the availability of oxygen ; a barrel-fermented and aged vinegar interacts with oxygen on the surface. In the 19th century vats with loosely packed wood chips allowed faster production. The vinegar trickled over the chips thus accelerating aeration and hence conversion to acetic acid.
Some of the most popular vinegars include:
Manufacturers flavour ordinary, commercial vinegar for extra taste dimension. Some of these flavouring agents are; tarragon, raspberry, blueberry, lemon basil, blueberry, thyme.
Malt vinegar is produced from malted barley and possesses a distinct taste particularly complimentary to fish and chips.
Rice vinegar may be red (sweet and sour) or white (mild) or black (salty and sweetish) for stir-fried foods, and sushi and sashimi.
Cider vinegar has distinct apple tang and is often used in countries with considerable apple production i.e. France, the UK, Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Germany.
The “capital” of vinegar in France is Orleans, located on the banks of the Loire River. Wine vinegars has been popular for centuries with French chefs
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling are all used for vinegar production. All are deeply flavoured and well worth seeking.
Champagne vinegar, exclusively produced in the Champagne region, has millions of aficionados not only in France but in many other countries. Champagne vinegar may cost more than a good bottle of wine.
Sherry vinegar is world famous, absolutely delightful, flavourful and very expensive. Available in fine grocery stores in North America.
Balsamic vinegar, the specialty of Modena in Emilia-Romagna, Italy has appellation controllee status. Authentic balsamic vinegar is very expensive. If a grocery store offers balsamic vinegar for a few dollars for a 8 oz. (250 ml) bottle, you can be sure that is commercial vinegar coloured with caramelized sugar. *see Note below
Only 3000 gallons (approximately 11,400 litres) of authentic balsamic vinegar is released annually; this should give you an idea how precious it is.
Balsamic vinegar was sold in pharmacies in the 15th century and used often to disinfect and heal deep cuts derived from swords.
Also See: Mediterranean Jewel Flavoured Oils
Balsamic Vinegar (Back to the Top)
A kitchen without balsamic vinegar is hard to imagine. Yet barely 15 years ago, balsamic was an obscure Italian ingredient, prized by cognoscenti but little noticed outside its native province of Emilia Romagna. Now trendy chefs scatter it on anything from abalone to zebra, far too much in my opinion. Let's be up front: a little gourmet balsamic is a blessing, an overdose can be fatal to any ingredient. So where does balsamic vinegar do best? I think of it first as a splendid seasoning, adding inimitable depth of taste to marinades for fish and poultry, and to grilled vegetables such as eggplant and bell peppers. In principle, balsamic vinegar will do well wherever a touch of sweetness is welcome. Onion or leek confit flavored with balsamic has become classic, as has the dash of balsamic in a tomato-and- mozzarella insalata caprese. We all think of pears with blue cheese, but in Italy pears with well-aged Parmesan (see below) and a few drops of the very best gourmet balsamic are the traditional combination to end a meal.Notice I say the very best. Fine gourmet balsamic, aged 25 years or more, can be sipped from the glass like Port. (The name comes from "balsam," the plant resin that is rubbed on the skin as medicinal balm.) Ripe strawberries have a particular affinity for the dense, aromatic taste of balsamic, and I personally think that a freshly picked heirloom tomato, its acid and sweetness intensified with a sprinkling of the best balsamic, can be sublime.
As a key ingredient in vinaigrette dressing, (see below) balsamic pairs particularly well with olive, walnut or hazelnut oils. Olive oil-balsamic vinaigrette is outstanding with lobster and scallops, globe artichokes and asparagus. A nut oil and balsamic dressing does well with winter vegetables such as carrots, turnips, squash and sweet potatoes, as well as cold weather greens such as frisee, radicchio and Belgian enpe. It is with delicate summer lettuces that I think a balsamic vinaigrette is too heavy, but by no means would everyone agree.
Balsamic Vinegar History
The first written documents date back to the XI century when in a chronicle of the benedictine Donizone, something is said about a small barrel of vinegar given as a present by Marquess Bonifacio, Sir of the Canossa castle and Matilda's father, to the King and future Emperor Enrico II of Franconia in the year 1046.
The diffusion of the balsamic started in the 1598 when the Duke of Este moved from Ferrara to Modena, that became the capital of the dukedom ; there are documents of this period that confirm the particular attention that the ducal court had for this product that was usually reserved for the ducal family or as a present for very important people.
In the 1700 the balsamic is already known in Europe: archives documents testify that an english merchant and the Count Michele Woronzon, high chancellor of Moscovia, asked the balsamic vinegar to the Duke Francesco III. The balsamic vinegar, before being used in gastronomy, was used for its medicamentous properties. In the treatise " of the government of the plague and of the ways of bewaring of it " written by Ludovico Antonio Muratori, eminent modenese scholar, he describes some remedies based on the vinegar, useful as antidotes against the terrible disease.
Among all the devastations caused in Modena by the french revolution there is also the auction sale in 1796 for the French republic, of the vinegar house of Duke Ercole III, situated in the west tower of the Ducal Palace of Modena. Probably not all the barrels were sold : on the 4th of may 1859 the ducal vinegar reserve was visited by Vittorio Emanuele II, the new king, and the prime minister Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour ; the next 24th of august the prime minister ordered to select all the best barrels and to transfer them to the Moncalieri's castle, where, for the very poor knowledges about the technical secrets, but this leaded to the loss of this immense treasure.
Method of preparation did not undergo any significant changes for many centuries. The traditional raw material for balsamic vinegar had always been wine vinegar, which was then aged for even hundreds of years. This is the hallmark of a tradition which was handed down from generation to generation.
Even the Estense family, which ruled the Duchy of Modena from 1598 to the middle of the 19th century, possessed large stores of balsamic vinegar which became famous throughout Europe. Menus from this period show that it was never lacking at meals.
The culinary requirements of such a renowned court made it necessary for the west tower of the Ducal Palace in Modena (residence of the Estense family) to be dedicated exclusively to the production of balsamic vinegar. In 1861 Mr. Aggazzotti, a lawyer, introduced a revolutionary production technique that used concentrated grape must as the raw material instead of wine vinegar. This is the method that has been used ever since to produce traditional balsamic vinegars like Patryus.
Only a tiny proportion of balsamic production is the real thing. Less than 3,000 gallons of genuine Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale are released each year, all of it made in Modena, a historic town just west of Bologna, or in nearby Reggio Emilia. Traditizionale is made from freshly pressed juice ("must") of the Trebbiano grape that is boiled down by more than half to a dark syrup laden with sugar, which leads to the distinctive sweetness of the finished vinegar. The syrup is transferred to oak casks to ferment in the open air and then starts the long evaporation and aging process that makes artisan balsamic vinegar unique.
Over the years the vinegar mellows and intensifies by evaporation as it is transferred to ever-smaller casks of various woods, ending with one of juniper. Measure for measure, prices of the best balsamic match those of a top Bordeaux or Pinot Noir wine. When buying balsamic, the key word on the label is tradizionale, the guarantee that it was made and aged in Modena by traditional methods. Balsamic vinegar does not deteriorate after opening as oxygen is part of the aging process, so treasure your best bottle and use it on special occasions. To subject such nectar to heat would be an insult.
Happily for us cooks, more modest and affordable everyday versions of balsamic vinegar, costing $20 and up, are also made in Modena and elsewhere. These are the vinegars that are so valuable as marinades, as flavorings in sauces and dressings and that can be simmered a short time without serious damage to their character. Making good quality vinegar is a long process, which accounts for the price. Cheap vinegars lack the subtlety of their more expensive counterparts and tend to be too harsh and acidic. It's worth paying that bit more for the mellow, full-bodied character and deep lingering flavour of these excellent vinegars. There are a lot of bad balsamics out there, too, at their worst made simply of white vinegar and caramelized brown sugar. On the whole you get what you pay for, so be sure to read the label.
All those sweet-sour recipes for duck and pork can be adapted to make good use of a moderately priced balsamic vinegar, as can delicious dark sauces for quail, dove, wild duck and venison. Somewhat to my surprise, balsamic vinegar is a great substitute for Marsala with veal scaloppini and saltimbocca. I've come across a lively little salsa, using strawberries, spring onions and cucumbers (see below) dressed with balsamic, which is great with fish. And I've developed a sensational perfumed puree of fresh chestnuts flavored with balsamic that demands none of the usual work to peel the nuts. They are halved, shells and all, and simmered in red wine until tender. Then the pulp is simply scooped out and sieved to make a perfect marriage with a few spoons of balsamic and some cream.
The Process
Want a sure-fire, long-term investment?
Move to Modena, Italy, cook down huge batches of unfermented juice from Trebbiano grapes, then pour it into wooden barrels that are, oh, 400 or 500 years old.
Age it for up to 100 years, designate it as aceto balsamico tradizionale balsamic vinegar, then sell it for $135 for a 3.5 ounce bottle.
Or, drive to your nearest fine food emporium and stand in line to snap up small, ornate bottles of the world's finest balsamic vinegars: concentrated vinegars so exceptional in taste, complexity and tradition that in Italy, they're often given as wedding dowrys.
In order to be an authentic balsamic vinegar, they have to be from Modena, Italy. These are vinegars that are for people who are serious about fine cooking. What makes a true gourmet balsamic vinegar?
The Process behind the Potion
In Modena, the making of traditional balsamic vinegar follows a precise set of time-honored rules which some say date back as far as the 13th century. Trebbiano grapes are harvested, as late in the season as possible for maximum sweetness, from the land that lies between the valley of the river Secchia and to the west of the river Reno. They are pressed, but before the juice can ferment, it is simmered gently over an open flame to reduce it by as much as seventy percent. This concentrated grape must is filtered and cooled, and then slowly, slowly transformed through a complex aging process. The liquid passes through a battery of five casks, each of a different wood, and each smaller than the last. The casks of oak, ash, cherry, chestnut, and mulberry range from sixty down to twenty liters. The timing of each topping up of the smaller barrels with balsamico decanted from the larger ones is determined by the sugar content as well as the personal sensibility and artistry of the particular producer, and there is no rushing the process for the finest results. The balsamico must experience the cold of winter and the heat of summer for at least a decade to achieve the rich overtones that grace the ideal balance of sweet and piquant.
Over the maturation period, measured in years, the vinegar was moved through a series of five wooden casks, courtesy of Dad. Each family had their own preference but usually selected woods from amongst oak, chestnut, cherry, cedar and mulberry, ash and juniper. As the process continued three major factors come to play; evaporation, concentration and blending.
Most traditional balsamic vinegar was aged in the family's attic. There it was treated to wild fluctuations in temperatures ranging from the intense heat of a summer day to the cold of a winter night. Apparently all this was very good for the slow aging of the vinegar but it meant that a great deal of the liquid was lost to evaporation, sometimes as much as 85%. (So that if you started off with 100 liters, in twelve years your hundred liters will have become a mere fifteen!) Lovers of Balsamic vinegar have learned to look for the more syrupy, viscious, liquid, for the thicker the vinegar, generally, the older it is and therefore the richer.
While, through evaporation the balsamic's mass decreased, residing in the various wooden casks the vinegar became more and more intense. (Much like wine which also absorbs the intensities and flavors of its stay in wooden barrels, "Love that oakey taste!' Just how long the vinegar was left in each barrel was all a part of the artistry and skill of the vintner. The barrels were treasured! Since they were never emptied, a small quantity drained off and the cask topped off, in each barrel one had, potentially Balsamic vinegar that was very, very old. In fact the barrels were so precious that when a barrel started to leak, a new barrel was built around the old one.
Complex flavor in fine Balsamic Vinegar comes from this long and exacting aging. A variety of woods are used including durmast, chestnut, ash, cherry and mulberry. Balsamic vinegar makers keep a secret art in the matching and blending of resinous aromatic wood staves. One taste of a truly fine Balsamic will make clear why it is worth all the effort. Balsamic Vinegar is truly in a class apart from other vinegars. Unlike the sharp tastes we usually associate with vinegar, the balsamics present a rich dark complex of sweetness and intrigue.
Today, the production of Balsamic vinegar continues in the hands of families, although a number of larger companies produce balsamic vinegar. Unfortunately, some of those companies are rather unscrupulous, sometimes using red wine vinegar laced with caramel to try to replicate the taste of balsamic.
While Balsamic Vinegar lends itself well to a stunning vinaigrette, it may find its highest expression in distinctly un-vinegar-like roles such as a splash on fresh fruit or ice cream!
About balsamic vinegars:
- In Italy, true balsamics are often drunk as an aperitif because as it ages and concentrates, the vinegar approaches the consistency of port wine.
- At Zingerman's, a Cavelli Bros. red label balsamic will be about 35 years old and sells for $65 for 3.5 ounces; silver label is about 52 years old, and sells for $95; a gold label balsamic would be from the 1800s and would retail at about $135.
- These aren't the kind of vinegars you sprinkle on your french fries. Warren suggests a few drops on ice cream, strawberries, ripe pears with Stilton cheese, and for an authentic taste of Italy, try a drop or two on cubes of Reggiano parmesano.
- The balsamic craze began in this country about 15 years ago, when Luciano Pavarotti, lusty eater and Modena native, sang the praises of balsamics.
Also See: Cherry Hill Oils and Vinegars
