Visiting the place where Balsamic Vinegar of Modena gets magically obtained is an experience, that everyone has to get at least once in a lifetime. An Acetaia tour can be an excellent option for a school trip, for a special weekend or simply to get to know the production process of the excellency of our beloved territory.
“La Vecchia Dispensa” offers different types of guided tours in the Acetaia, in order to provide detailed information throughout experiential teaching and give you the right weapons to understand and appreciate the properties of Balsamic Vinegar, so you can make a more conscious use of it in your kitchen. Every tour has to be booked in advance. Find more information in the Tour Section.
Balsamic Tour
Guided tours in the Acetaia allow you to get in touch with the typical production processes of Balsamic Vinegar (used because it’s popular, but still unknown for production method). The characteristic thing about these tours is that normally in the Acetaia you can assist only to one production process – the aging. For that reason, some may think that there is nothing interesting to see. We will be happy to prove the opposite!
Balsamic Vinegar production sites are often very particular spaces (normally located in the attics), for they have to possess specific characteristic as to allow an elevated temperature excursion, necessary for the correct aging of the product. The exactly opposite conditions to those necessary for wine aging, the process that pretty often gets erroneously associated in the minds of many to Balsamic Vinegar production.
The Acetaia assumes different characteristics in various periods of the year. In the summertime, when it gets particularly hot, the product evaporates and its characteristic perfumes fulfill the ambient. In winter, these aromas are almost imperceptible in the air.
Aging Time, Barrels and Aromas
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena does not follow a specific recipe during its aging: this leaves ample room for maneuver to the producers, who can choose how to blend harmoniously the different wood essences in order to obtain an aromatic well-balanced final product. In fact, every Acetaia combines these “ingredients” differently, creating their personal unique product.
During the tour in our Acetaia, you will get a unique chance to discover the production secrets of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI by “La Vecchia Dispensa”. It is the real signature of the Acetaia, studied and improved over the decades of production.
Balsamic Vinegar Tasting in Acetaia
During the tours organized by “La Vecchia Dispensa” there is the possibility to taste 5 different qualities of Balsamic Vinegar, both PDO and PGI ones. The reason we do not extend the number of the tastings is a mere matter of the palate: due to the strong intense flavor, after several tastings the palate gets completely saturated and may not be able to distinguish and appreciate the differences between the products. The best way to taste Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is onto a ceramic spoon. For the most curious ones here is the reason: ceramics is the material that gives a smoother effect to the tasting, while the cold metal would not allow the product to open up and diffuse its aromas and perfumes. As for more, a ceramic spoon almost perfectly replaces the ancient way of the tasting of Balsamic Vinegar, when several drops of the product got tasted directly from the palm of the hand. That was the classic tasting method that allowed to evaluate the organoleptic characteristics of the product: acidity, aromas, sugary density and the perception on the palate.
Tasting Balsamic Vinegar is highly important to choose the right product, which would be mostly suitable for the personal usage in the kitchen. For that reason, a purchase in our shop directly after the tour is much easier than a “blind” one in the local market or winery. Understanding the peculiarities and the potentials of the product is the first step towards an adequate and conscious usage.
