Savoring Balsamic on Its Home Turf - The Province of Modena

     Some food tastes are not only delicious, they are exquisite. One example is the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Italy (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena). The Traditional Balsamic is not the balsamic that we find on supermarket shelves. It is also not the balsamic that is sometimes mistakenly or deceitfully identified by U.S. vendors as “traditional balsamic,” but is not.

 Almost every evening for years, I’ve enjoyed dressing my dinner salad with Tuscan EVOO and what I mistakenly thought was traditional balsamic. So, when I decided to visit Emilia-Romagna last month and stay in Bologna, I wanted to take a day trip to Modena and visit an “acetaia,” a balsamic production facility. 

(Modena is both a city and a province in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy. When referring to balsamic production, the reference is to the province. The city is its capital.)

 In researching the possibilities, I discovered Villa San Donnino (https://www.villasandonnino.it/), which Is located a few miles outside the city of Modena. It had great reviews and a list of balsamic products that included traditional balsamic. It offered free, English-language tours and tastings, and accepted advance reservations. It seemed like a great choice. The two friends I would be meeting in Bologna liked the idea. So, I made reservations for the three of us. It turned out to be the perfect choice. It would be an eye-opening, mouth-watering, and tasty experience.

 Our guide/teacher/hostess was Chiara. She did a superb job.

First, she took us up several flights of stairs to the production and aging space, seen in the photo above. There, she explained the process. Each row of barrels, called a “battery,” eventually ends up with one year’s production.

After explaining the process, she led us back to the ground floor, where we enjoyed a tasting and had the opportunity to purchase San Donnino balsamic products.

 Before the visit, I had thought I understood the different types of balsamic vinegars. I discovered that I was misinformed.

There are three main types of balsamic

1. DOP  (Protected Designation of Origin) – aged 12 years & Extravecchio - aged 25 years. This class has very strict regulations governed by a consortium. Those regulations involve the types of grapes that can be used, where the grapes are grown, prohibitions against using any additives, etc. This type can only be made from grape must – unfermented grape juice.

Villa San Donnino belongs to the Consortium of Ancient Vinegar Producers (Consorzio Produttori Antiche Acetaie). A consortium taster must taste and approve a producer’s product in order for the product to be sold as Traditional Balsamic. The decision is not up to the producer. You can find consortium rules at https://balsamico.it/en/the-product/

All Traditional Balsamics from Modena come in the same bulb-shaped 100ml bottle. The labeling is different, depending on whether the age is 12 or 25 years.

So, the Chef Jeanne Pierre “18-year traditional barrel-aged” balsamic in 750 ml bottles that I had been buying on Amazon didn’t match either the packaging or the aging of requirements of authentic Traditional Balsamic of Modena.

Before buying on Amazon, I used to buy “traditional balsamic” from a local olive oil store. They had their “traditional balsamic” in large barrels; and would put the requested amount in a bottle. Clearly, that was not traditional balsamic.

 Traditional balsamic from neighboring Reggio Emilia only comes in a tulip-shaped 100ml bottle.

 2. IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) – This type or the third type are what you find on store shelves. It has fewer regulations . It must contain at least 10% wine vinegar, and can have up to 2% natural caramel added. This type need only be aged in wooden barrels for 60 days. It can be labeled “aged” if it is aged for at least 3 years in wooden barrels.

 3. “Condiment” (Condimento) balsamic has the fewest limitations. Other flavoring can be added.

 Villa San Donnino offers a number of wonderful balsamic products – the 25-year-old and 12-year-old traditional, dark and light condiment balsamic, and a balsamic jelly. We bought a variety of items for both personal use and as gifts. Villa S.D. also offers shipping, which is not inexpensive, but is easier than carrying in one’s luggage.

In the photo below, you will see in the top center the prince of their products the 12-year-old traditional balsamic, bottled in the only permissible bottle. Below the prince is the balsamic jelly. On the left is the light-colored condiment and on the right is the dark-colored condiment. The 25-year-old emperor is not pictured because I did not buy it. Each comes in a nice box. Santa may bring some of these to loved ones.

It was very easy to get to Villa San Donnino from Bologna. We took the train to Modena. Our second-class tickets were €4.30 ($4.73), and the trip took 32 minutes. After a bit of sightseeing at the Mercato Storico Albinelli, a neat covered food market full of stalls, we took a cab from there to Villa San Donnino. The fare was about €31 ($34.10), and the six-mile ride took just over 15 minutes. The cabbie was a bit confused about the destination because he said there were two places with the same name. Fortunately, I gave him the Villa San Donnino phone nr. He called and got the correct location.

 In a conversation with the cabbie who took us back to town, he told me that he,  like many others in town, produced traditional balsamic for his family. He said he had taken over the process from his father and grandfather. Both Chiara and the cabbie mentioned that families often start a batch when a child is born, and age it until the child grows up and marries. Then it is given as a wedding gift.

 If you’re ever in Modena or have time for a day trip from Bologna, I highly recommend Villa San Donnino. To make reservations for a tasting, you can contact the Villa at bookyourvinegartour@villasandonnino.it.