Our Story
A FAMILY LEGACY
Our story began four generations ago, when the Pelloni and Tintori families started aging Balsamic Vinegar in precious wooden casks. A sweet inheritance was prepared with love by our fathers and served as a dowry for each daughter. Today our Collections brings together all the most representative Balsamic Vinegars of the family. Each product is unique and unrepeatable, available in limited quantities every year.
THE BARRELS: WOMEN & WOODS
Every Batteria (set of Balsamic Vinegar barrels) tells us a story that always begins with a name of a woman. Back in time, the prestige of a family in Modena was measured by the number of barrels it had. Women were strong and tenacious like the wood of the barrels but sweet and scented like its precious content. But first and foremost, they are mothers being able to create a new life, like the precious "Madri" of the Balsamic. Thus the memory of those women can be found in every drop of our Balsamic.
LICENCE No.13
We proudly can say La Vecchia Dispensa was one of the first historic Acetaia opened to the public. Years ago with license number 13 we started this adventure and even now we obtain highest quality Balsamic Vinegar respecting the tradition of the previous generations. Since 1905 the Acetaia is run by the same family.
IN CASTELVETRO THE NATURE HAS ITS OWN OLD PANTRY
Then in 1975 we opened a small shop called Dispensa (pantry house) inside the family estate. Here a huge old cupboard in dark wood was used to keep our precious Balsamic Vinegar in heavy terracotta jars called “Train”.
NO COMPROMISE
All our balsamic vinegars come from 100% Italian grapes. We select Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes from late harvest, and the best red wine vinegar. The first ingredient in our Balsamic Vinegar is cooked grape must, because only in this way we can get intense taste and complex structure.
We do not add caramel because we believe in the importance of slow aging in wood. Our barrels are passed down through generations. Mix of aromatic woods, years of aging and care - this is the real secret of our balsamic supreme quality.
100% HAND MADE
We take care of all the characteristics of our product, right down to the tiniest detail. Sometimes this may seem superfluous or even obsessive but for us every piece is unique and deserves all our attention starting with the selection of raw materials right through to the packaging of the finished product. We have always done it in this way. Each of our products is our representation and can tell a story about us, our history and our family.
INNOVATING THE TRADITION
We always try to keep up with the time and to be innovative. On 2002 we decided to make a step forward and to start producing organic Balsamic Vinegar. Every year we create new products that go perfect with Balsamic Vinegar. Eventually La Vecchia Dispensa has invented modern eclectic recipes such as the first Panettone with Balsamic Vinegar (2000), and later the Balsamic and Parmigiano-Reggiano chocolate praline (2006).