When you find out that the traditional balsamic vinegar requires at least 12 years of processing until it can be sold (and, for some balsamic vinegars, this aging process can take more than 25 years) you understand why patience and passion are, together, the real secret ingredient of this high quality product, a staple food in the fine Italian cuisine.

To understand more about this incredible food (so incredible that once it was considered as expensive as to be offered as a gift, in a very small quantity, for a royal wedding) we have talked with Valerio Bellini, the owner of Acetaia Ferretti-Corradini, in Reggio-Emilia, Italy.

Valerio, if I’m not wrong, you can trace the history of your balsamic vinegar as far back as the end of the XIX century.

To be precise, 1890. This is the year marked on the first small wooden barrel that we can trace as the origin of our balsamic vinegar. Luigi Ferretti received it in 1918 from his father, a very old tradition of this region of Italy.

The story behind it is the story of four generations of balsamic vinegar makers. Libero, the eldest son of Luigi, developed the balsamic vinegar business and became a reference in the knowledge of the balsamic vinegar. He became one of the founders of the Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio-Emilia Consortium (Consorzio di Tutela dell’Aceto Balsamico di Reggio Emilia) Lucia, the daughter of Libero, together with her husband Giuseppe, developed and modernized the business their father and grand-father created. Today, it’s Valeria, the daughter of Lucia and grand-daughter of Libero, and myself who took over the responsibility of keeping alive the balsamic vinegar making tradition.

And, also developing the business, I suppose.

We have big dreams, but as surprising as this may sound, they don’t involve development. Our dreams are about maintaining our artisan spirit (rather than becoming a big business) and those firm rules that give added value to a quality handmade product.

Speaking about quality, what makes the balsamic vinegar so special? And so expensive.

The balsamic vinegar is, together with wine and Parmesan, one of the food products that age well. But, unlike the wine and the Parmesan, that past a certain age may go bad, the balsamic vinegar, if cared for, becomes only more valuable with the passing of the years.

The only ingredient in the traditional balsamic vinegar is the juice of the grapes. The grape juice is transformed into an extraordinary marriage of aromas and flavours, a real balm for the palate.

The maturation of the traditional balsamic vinegar begins with a concentration on direct fire and continues with the evaporation due to summer temperatures: from a 100 litres of grape juice, after at least 12 years of aging, it is possible to obtain no more than 5 litres of traditional balsamic vinegar.

The annual addition of barrels of different woods, from the largest to the smallest, transmits its unmistakable organoleptic qualities to the vinegar and evaporation during the long summers gives it its characteristic density.

The traditional balsamic vinegar of Reggio Emilia is a precious ingredient in the kitchen: the organoleptic qualities place it among the gastronomic products of the highest quality, such as caviar and truffles.

How would you recommend to use the balsamic vinegar, to be sure we fully enjoy it?

It can be used as dressing for salads, to sprinkle cooked vegetables, but also flakes of Parmesan cheese, vegetable omelettes or rice fritters.

It goes perfectly with raw or semi-cooked red meats such as roast beef or sliced beef, as long as it is added just before the presentation of the dish.

Even on long-cooked foods, traditional balsamic vinegar must be added just before removing them from the heat, in order to flavour the food without losing its extraordinary aroma.

You also organize visits of your vineyard and show how the balsamic vinegar is being made. What can gourmets learn during such a visit?

We open the doors of our family and our home. We welcome people in the courtyard, for a brief introduction of our company, followed by a small part directly in the vineyard. Then we go up to the vinegar factory, where we illustrate the production techniques of our products. After that, you enter the tasting room for a complete vertical view of our balsamic vinegar, combined with some typical products of the area (Parmigiano Reggiano / Erbazzone / Salami)

And here there are no limits, you stay as long as you want to talk and chat in company. After all, we Emilians are like that, we like to welcome people and be in company, especially at the table !!

It’s a simple thing, as if you were one of the family we let you into our world, we dedicate ourselves completely to you for the duration of the visit. Count about 2h to see the entire process and to fully enjoy the tasting.

Because, as I said before, we are a small structure, we have to limit the number of people visiting to 6-7.  You can book your visit directly on our website.