The caviar of vinegars

Claudio Stefani, head of Giusti, the oldest acetaia in Modena, gives a seminar about his family's balsamic vinegar products at Sabato Delicatessen in Mt. Eden. Photo / Babiche Martens

It's said that Claudio Stefani has balsamic vinegar running through his veins, such is his heritage in the noble art of creating this precious condiment. As part of the 17th generation to act as custodian of the family business, he heads the four-century-old Giusti brand, the oldest producer in Modena. Opera buffs and car fans will know this ancient Italian city, located northwest of Bologna, as both Luciano Pavarotti's birthplace and home to the Ferrari

and Maserati marques. But connoisseurs of fine foods know that it's also where the world's best balsamic vinegar is produced. Quite simply, if it's not balsamic vinegar of Modena, it's not the real thing.

And in Modena, it's the Giusti family's prized balsamic vinegars that have the longest and most distinguished history. Giusti was the first acetaia (vinegar producer) to formally document the recipe - "choice of grapes, quality of vessels and time" are the three key ingredients. Prior to 1863 the method had been passed orally through the generations. They were official suppliers to the King of Italy in 1929. During Europe's Belle Epoque the label was awarded 14 gold medals; the family still draws from the barrel that Giuseppe Giusti won gold for in Paris in 1900. More recently, a Giusti balsamic vinegar, along with Cristal Champagne and Beluga caviar, was listed in the book 101 Things to Buy Before You Die.

On one hand, the method of creating this product is mysterious, the specifics of which are often a jealously kept family secret. Yet the process is also highly regulated and must be performed in accordance with strict rules. A body called Consorzio Aceto Balsamico Di Modena (Consortium of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena) safeguards the authentic makers of the condiment and reassures consumers they are purchasing the genuine article.

Grapes, such as the white Trebbiano variety, are harvested then cooked over a low flame in copper containers until it reduces to 30 per cent of its volume and becomes black. High-quality wine vinegar is added to the resulting "must" and the concoction is aged in a series of open barrels (of decreasing sizes and usually stored in an attic) in which fermentation, acidification and evaporation take place over many years. Made of a variety of woods such as oak, juniper, cherry, chestnut and mulberry, the all-important barrels impart different properties into the product. "The older the cask, the better. The balsamic eats into the wood which releases aromas and flavours created centuries ago," says Stefani, whose family possesses an antique collection of rare barrels dating as far back as the 1500s.

Each barrel is consecutively "topped off" with the contents of the next larger one, while a freshly made brew is added to the largest one. After at least 10 years of this process, in which new vintages become incorporated into the chain, the contents of the last - and smallest - barrel will be dense and aromatic and ready for decanting into bottles. Even the youngest product, which is made in big barrels, will be finished with century-old reserves. Balsamic vinegar of Modena can never go off; it becomes denser and only improves with age.

"People ask exactly how we create each product and the truth is we don't know. It is an art. For Banda Rossa, for example, we draw from barrels, keep tasting and blend until it has all the properties of Banda Rossa," says Stefani. "We ask ourselves what is required? Does it need to be sweeter or to have more juniper? Every vintage is different. It's a live product, a very complex product to understand."

Complex it may be, but young members of the Giusti family quickly acquire a taste for it. Stefani's 7-year-old daughter Manuela first tried the condiment at the age of 2, when it was drizzled on mashed pumpkin. According to her father, a little of the Guisti's finest balsamic vinegar, which costs $135.30 for a 250ml bottle, can make for smoother meal times. "My daughter eats everything if I put Banda Rossa on it - zucchini, aubergine. She'd eat it all day if we let her," says Stefani with a laugh.

The traditional way to enjoy balsamic vinegar of Modena, which ideally achieves a perfect balance between sweet and sour, is to serve it over Parmigiano-Reggiano - a hard cheese made in the same region. "Products from the same place always go fantastically together," says Stefani. He suggests using Giusti products to dress fillet steak, mortadella, smoked salmon, fish, prawns, lobster, deep-fried calamari, vegetables, strawberries, cut pears and even icecream. But Stefani says that eating it by itself off a spoon is the best way to appreciate its nuances. It may be used as an appetiser but more commonly, because of its digestive properties, it will be eaten at the end of a meal. Indeed, this is Stefani's favourite way to sample it. "Sitting relaxed in front of a fire with a spoonful of Banda Rossa - just magic," he says.

Beware pale imitations

Commercial or industrial grade balsamic vinegars often have caramel added for colour. True balsamic vinegar consists simply of must and wine vinegar.

Some commercial products use thickeners such as starch to replicate density which is authentically achieved over many years of ageing.

Stefani uses a parallel with the Champagne industry, another label closely guarded by the authentic regional producers. "The name is 'balsamic vinegar of Modena'. To call something 'balsamic vinegar' is like calling a sparkling wine 'champ'. It doesn't even make sense," he says.

So-called 'white balsamic vinegar', which is sometimes recommended for use on white fish, is not authentic. It is artificially filtered and contains white vinegar. "It's an oxymoron because balsamic must be black," says Stefani.

Top shelf

To complicate matters, there is another category of authentic balsamic vinegar which is regulated by Consorzio Produttori Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Di Modena (Consortium of the Producers of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena) and can cost $250 to $300 for a small bottle. This product has to be aged for at least 12 years, contain only cooked must and is tasted and approved by a panel of experts before bottling.