What is a proper age for Balsamic Vinegar?
None of the product may be withdrawn until the end of the minimum aging period of 12 years. At the end of the aging period (12, 18, or 25 years) a small proportion is drawn from the smallest cask and each cask is then topped up with the contents of the preceding (next largest) cask. Freshly reduced cooked must is added to the largest cask and in every subsequent year the drawing and topping up process is repeated. This process where the product is distributed from the oldest cask and then refilled from the next oldest vintage cask is called solera or in perpetuum. If the vinegar does not state an age then it is not aged balsamic. Is Balsamic Vinegar Wine Vinegar? Although it is considered wine vinegar, it is not wine vinegar at all. It is not made from wine, but from grape pressings that have never been permitted to ferment into wine. Most vinegar labeled Balsamic but have no statement of age are wine vinegar that has a very small percentage of Balsamic vinegar added. Though the bottle
