Aged Before Beauty

In the world of gourmet foods, there is one particular factor that most food enthusiasts look at (depending on the item), and that is how much it has aged. The most well known and popular ones that would come to mind for most people are cheeses and wine. To some people the stinkier the cheese is, the better it tastes. When wine is aged considerably, changes in their aroma, taste, and color take place surpassing even its original incarnation. Balsamic vinegar can also be aged, and it's a bigger deal than you probably even realize. Just like with aged wine, getting a product to achieve the status as a true, aged balsamic vinegar has strict processes and requirements set by European standards. We at the Gourmet Import Shop have been importing such products from our Italian supplier, Mussini, who are experts in this field and have great knowledge in this industry.

In this post, we will go over a brief summary of who Mussini is, some Balsamic Vinegar 101, the meaning of IGP/DOP, Mussini's Coin System, and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale versus Condimento. Grab some cheese & wine and head past the break to read more about aged Italian balsamic vinegar.

Mussini
Balsamici Per Passione (Passion For Balsamic)

Mussini is an Italian manufacturer who produces true, authentic balsamic vinegars and glazes that we carry. The Mussini family has been making Balsamic Vinegar of Modena since 1909. During that year, the first three barrels were placed in the attic of the first vinegar-making facilities of Magreta. Today, after 100 years, they are still making the same precious balsamic vinegar in accordance to the traditional methods that have been handed down from father to son, but in modern, certified facilities that are located on the Lowland close to the Apennines, at Margreta, just a few miles from the Ferrari factory. The wide range of products from the Mussini line are an expression of the joy that is typical of the Italian way of life and of the passion for excellent food and "eating well". A centuries-old tradition and the quality of unique products make Mussini an atelier of culinary art

Aged Balsamic Vinegar 101

The word balsamic is translated to balsam-like, with balsam meaning "curative" or "restorative". When you hear something that cures or restores, some type of medicine would usually spring to mind. The reason why this word is used is because back in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance era, it was drunk by the nobility as a refined drink and was thought to be a natural remedy to help cure the plague running rampant at the time.

The very bare basic steps of how balsamic vinegar is made requires cooking grape must, alcohol fermentation by yeast, acetic oxidation by acetic acid bacteria, and slow aging in a barrel.

The traditional and original way of how balsamic vinegar is made comes from a reduction of cooked white Trebbiano grape juice, which tends to be very costly. On the other hand, Mussini takes their spin on how it is done. Just like the original way, they cook the grape must. However, wine vinegar is mixed with the grape must and are placed in various wooden barrels to age together. Types of wood for these barrel range from the usual oak, mulberry, and chestnut to cherry and juniper woods which give it a delicious, unmistakable aroma. After the appropriate aging, the fermented musts evolve into its vinegar formed completely through a natural process. Thus it attains the title of Mussini's Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

However, it doesn't end there! Mussini goes a step further to get this fully recognized by the European Union regulation by getting the official I.G.P and D.O.P stamp of approval to show that these are legitimate, authentic balsamic vinegar.

Perfect lead off to the next topic!

IGP / DOP

As mentioned earlier before, there is a set regulation in the European Union that ensures the products are genuine from its region of origin with an official title of designation. This law was enacted in 1992 with the purpose of keeping the reputation of regional foods, helping producers reach a premium price for their product by proving its authenticity, and to eliminate the misleading of consumers from purchasing false and inferior "copy cat" products. These rules protect the integrity of a wide variety of European foodstuff such as wine, balsamic vinegar, cheese, seafood, regional bread, beer, sausages, olive oils, and many more. For the balsamic vinegar, IGP and DOP designations are titles you want to look out for should you wish to try the true version.

IGP - Indicazione Geografica Protetta

The above Italian acronym (a.k.a PGI = Protected Geographical Indication) is one official title that indicates the product is genuine. In order to achieve this status, the following conditions must be met:

• must come from that area, place, or country
• have a specific quality or characteristic from the geographical area
• production, process, OR preparation must take place within said region
• 500 ml or more
• 6% acidity

We have a variety of different aged balsamics with the IGP title all made by Mussini which you can find by heading to our retail website by clicking here.

DOP - Denominazione D'Origine Protetta

This Italian acronym (a.k.a PDO = Protected Designation of Origin) is another official title marking a product's authenticity. Unlike the IGP, in order to have this title all of the following conditions must be met:

• must come from that area, place or country
• have a quality or characteristic exclusive or significant to the environment including human and natural factors
• production, process, AND preparation must take place within said region

There is a possibility of adding the extended title of "Extra Vecchio" to a DOP product if it is aged at least 25 years. A prime example of that would be Mussini's Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Di Modena D.O.P.

Mussini Coin System

Mussini Coin: 1 Coin = 3 Years

If you checked the IGP balsamics from our store, you'll notice that they are titled with a number followed by a coin similar to the image that you see to the right. This is the symbol that Mussini uses to identify what aged year the balsamic is. For this system, a single coin represents 3 years. So if you look at the 3 Coin balsamic, that is saying it is a 9 year type. The reason why they use this instead of just having the year written on it is because some regulations in Europe were enacted stating that producers cannot have a specific year written on its label. Manufacturers, like Mussini, then opted to use icons and symbols to represent what year type is in each bottle.

If you haven't noticed yet, labeling products with these official titles are a very critical thing. Not only for the consumers, but for the producers as well to show the world that their products are legitimate foods. 

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena

This version is an inexpensive imitation of the original Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale which was mentioned earlier in the Balsamic 101 section up above. This one is more widely known and available throughout the world. These can be commonly found in restaurants. The majority of our aged Mussini products fall in this category, and these are all under the protection of the above mentioned guidelines for DOP/IGP.

Barrels used to store and age balsamics

Condimento

Unlike the above, this balsamic vinegar type does not have official standards and/or labeling. It can be made in any of the following guidelines:

• created and aged in Modena or Reggio Emilia
• aged less than 12 years minimum and made by tradizionale producers
• made with regular balsamic with addition to reduced grape juice and without aging
• created in the same process as tradizionale balsamic but made by producers outisde of the Modena or Reggio Emilia region

A good example of these would be the Mussini Balsamic Glazes that we have which you can find at our website here. These are reductions with many types of naturally flavored balsamic. The following Mussini products would fall in this category as well:

• Balsamic Sprays (White, Dark)
• Saba
• 14 Year Riserva di Famiglia ("Family Reserve")
• 20 Year Emozione ("Emotion")
• 30 Year Delizia ("Delight")
• 50 Year Il Privilegio ("The Privilege")
• 100 Year Il Grande Vecchio ("The Grand Old")

Vinegar Making Facility in Magreta

Closing

For those who want to taste the true Italian balsamics, it is important to have a good understanding of what gives its authenticity. There are imitators out there who claim their products are the real deal when in reality it's filled with unnecessary filler ingredients. Knowing these small details will go a long way to enjoying the wonderful world of gourmet food.