– CLADIO STEFANO GIUSTI –
The Giuseppe Giusti company has produced genuine balsamic
vinegar in Modena, Italy since the 1600s. It’s the world’s oldest balsamic vinegar producer,
and Claudio Stefani, a 17th-generation vinegar manufacturer, showed us how it’s made.
The Giuseppe Giusti company has produced genuine balsamic vinegar in Modena, Italy since the 1600s. It’s the world’s oldest balsamic vinegar producer, and Claudio Stefani, a 17th-generation vinegar manufacturer, showed us how it’s made.
Making balsamic vinegar is easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master.
The highest quality balsamic vinegar is an exclusive creation, where a connoisseur can detect hundreds of varying essences, something that requires extensive experience.
With 17 generations of balsamic vinegar makers behind him, Claudio Stefani knows what it takes. He’s from Modena, Italy a birthplace of balsamic vinegar, where the authentic balsamic vinegar is manufactured, and where thousands of Modena families continue to make their own vinegar.
Unlike other vinegars, wine isn’t used to make traditional balsamic vinegar. Instead, grapes are mashed and then boiled down to a thick, sweet concentrate. Then the concentrate goes into wooden barrels to start fermentation. When the concentrate starts to ferment, the sugar becomes alcohol that turns into vinegar that subsequently acquires a characteristic, bittersweet, slightly acetic, aromatic flavor.
Balsamic vinegar aging is the opposite of wine aging. Fermentation is what you strive for. Wines are aged in cool cellars and never exposed to air. Balsamic vinegars are aged in warm attics with open barrels for absorbing oxygen.
“Hundreds of years ago, people discovered that something was happening with the concentrate when it started to ferment. They realized that the sweet and sour flavors worked incredibly well together.”
Genuine balsamic vinegar is a gourmet item. It is aged for at least 12 years. In addition. the Giuseppe Giusti company also has products that have been aged for more than 100 years. The vinegar has been stored in many barrels of various types of wood – all of which have existed for hundreds of years.
“That’s what makes our balsamic vinegar so special. Our barrels are made from oak, cherry, juniper, and mulberry. Each type of wood is distinctive and lends its character to the vinegar. The longer you store it, the more sophisticated the result – and that’s exhilarating. The vinegar proves that you must make an effort to develop an outstanding product. And not least, it makes you appreciate the value of time.”
Balsamic vinegar is aged in barrels of varying sizes. To ensure that the concentrate doesn’t totally evaporate, the barrel is always filled with concentrate from a larger barrel.
“I think the best way to eat it is on a spoon. You just shut your eyes and enjoy all the amazing flavors. On the other hand, balsamico vinegar it’s very versatile. It works incredibly well with all types of cuisine. I use it with anything – from lettuce and cheese – to fish, meat, or pasta – every day. I even use it on ice cream and in cocktails. It has an exquisite consistency and tantalizing taste that you won’t find anywhere else."
Good things come to those who wait. And those, who manage to get their hands on a really good balsamic vinegar, must enjoy it the right way.
Making balsamic vinegar is easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master.
The highest quality balsamic vinegar is an exclusive creation, where a connoisseur can detect hundreds of varying essences, something that requires extensive experience.
With 17 generations of balsamic vinegar makers behind him, Claudio Stefani knows what it takes. He’s from Modena, Italy a birthplace of balsamic vinegar, where the authentic balsamic vinegar is manufactured, and where thousands of Modena families continue to make their own vinegar.
Unlike other vinegars, wine isn’t used to make traditional balsamic vinegar. Instead, grapes are mashed and then boiled down to a thick, sweet concentrate. Then the concentrate goes into wooden barrels to start fermentation. When the concentrate starts to ferment, the sugar becomes alcohol that turns into vinegar that subsequently acquires a characteristic, bittersweet, slightly acetic, aromatic flavor.
Balsamic vinegar aging is the opposite of wine aging. Fermentation is what you strive for. Wines are aged in cool cellars and never exposed to air. Balsamic vinegars are aged in warm attics with open barrels for absorbing oxygen.
“Hundreds of years ago, people discovered that something was happening with the concentrate when it started to ferment. They realized that the sweet and sour flavors worked incredibly well together.”
Genuine balsamic vinegar is a gourmet item. It is aged for at least 12 years. In addition. the Giuseppe Giusti company also has products that have been aged for more than 100 years. The vinegar has been stored in many barrels of various types of wood – all of which have existed for hundreds of years.
“That’s what makes our balsamic vinegar so special. Our barrels are made from oak, cherry, juniper, and mulberry. Each type of wood is distinctive and lends its character to the vinegar. The longer you store it, the more sophisticated the result – and that’s exhilarating. The vinegar proves that you must make an effort to develop an outstanding product. And not least, it makes you appreciate the value of time.”
Balsamic vinegar is aged in barrels of varying sizes. To ensure that the concentrate doesn’t totally evaporate, the barrel is always filled with concentrate from a larger barrel.
“I think the best way to eat it is on a spoon. You just shut your eyes and enjoy all the amazing flavors. On the other hand, balsamico vinegar it’s very versatile. It works incredibly well with all types of cuisine. I use it with anything – from lettuce and cheese – to fish, meat, or pasta – every day. I even use it on ice cream and in cocktails. It has an exquisite consistency and tantalizing taste that you won’t find anywhere else.
Good things come to those who wait. And those, who manage to get their hands on a really good balsamic vinegar, must enjoy it the right way.
Balsamico is not only for food!
Together with Chartreuse Giuseppe Giusti created a drink – ”Amercian Pola Giusti”
containing a 100-year-old balsamic vinegar.
Balsamico is not only for food! Together with Chartreuse Giuseppe Giusti created a drink – ”Amercian Pola Giusti” containing a 100-year-old balsamic vinegar.
