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Quality in Traditional Style Balsamic
Our Traditional Style Balsamic contains less than 5% high quality, barrel aged red wine vinegar from Modena which is added to inoculate the must with pro-biotic (acetic bacteria). The rest of the volume is wholly comprised of cooked Trebbiano grape must. The must is made from grapes cultivated in the region of Modena, which are crushed and cooked in the ancient “Traditional Style” in copper kettles, within the region of Modena, Italy.
Cooking in copper kettles to caramelize the grape sugar is more than
just a quaint or romantic production step. Cooking down the grape must
in copper is a rare production step which makes a monumental difference
in terms of the quality and authenticity of the end product. Today most
producers in Italy have opted for the vastly more efficient and modern
method of condensing grape juice into a concentrate utilizing the
relatively new process of vacuum evaporation. The use of this technology
also typically necessitates the addition of up to 2% caramel color/dye
to be added to the otherwise pale, anemic white grape must in order to
add a deep, rich, mahogany-brown color. This practice was recently
sanctioned by Italian law to allow producers to give the end consumer a
false impression that the grape must was in fact cooked and caramelized
in the "Traditional Style" in copper kettles.
However, it it not
legal in Italy or North America, or most other countries to add
artificial color or any other ingredients to a product and not disclose
them on the ingredient statement. Despite this, many retail products
labeled as balsamic do contain artificial color, thickeners, and types
of refined sugar which are not disclosed on the product's ingredient
statement. Our Traditional Style Condimento and all of our infused dark
balsamics which are made with it are certified on Third Party
Certificate of Analysis to contain no caramel color, thickeners, or
forms of refined sugar. It is conservatively estimated that upwards of
95% of all retail products labeled as "balsamic" do contain caramel
color despite non-disclosure of it and other extraneous ingredients on
the ingredient statement. If there is no traceability and guarantee via
lab analysis otherwise, it is wise to be dubious. With no domestic
industry in North America to protect, there is little to no interest in
regulation of this product category by government. And with the most
proficient third party labs that test for fraud being in Italy,
adulteration is rampant in this product category. Even when the product
is tested in proficient labs, it is incredibly difficult to test for
caramel color as it's typically added in less than 2% by volume and
requires very specific testing methods to identify it.
In relation to
the artisan method which is used to produce it, our Condimento is lab
certified to have an extraordinarily high minimum relative density of
1.28+ - the highest minimum measured density on file for any standard.
It is measured by a third party lab in Italy and carries traceability
through each batches certificate of analysis. We are extremely proud
that our Condimento contains on average, a whopping 749+ grams of dried
extract solids per liter - a lab measurement which speaks to the extreme
loss of moisture through natural evaporation which occurs in the
cooking process and also while it ages in five types of wood barrels
over time. The higher the amount of dried extract solids, the more
complex a balsamic will be, as we are talking about the concentration of
grape solids including grape sugar, which impart flavor and make for a
thicker, naturally sweeter, and more complex balsamic.
We like to use
these very exact and meaningful measurements and means of certification
conducted by third party labs to detail quality as opposed to the often
misleading, competing, and confusing Italian based categories and trade
association standards such as the Leaf System, Star System, PGI, etc.,
And we urge you to do the same. In most cases these categories are
ambiguous, romantic and hollow when drilled into. The common theme most
share is that they place high value on the fact that Balsamic must be
certified to come from specific regions, yet offer little to no
measurable scientific, or production standards beyond geographic
location. They don’t speak to the nuts and bolts of what really
constitutes quality in balsamic such as density, dried extract solids,
process, fruit maturity and quality, must percentage, barrel system,
etc..
"But what about age?", you say. Age claims are strictly
illegal in Italy. Only here in North America do you see rampant,
unqualified, and totally bogus age claims being made which would be
prohibited if the product were being sold in the more regulated market
of Italy.
With decades worth of experience driving our own
balsamic standard ever upward, we are currently in the process of
creating the first measurable chemical/production standard for balsamic
in North which will use good science and meaningful criteria as opposed
to superfluous romance which currently places all emphasis on the idea
that place dominates. It will be akin to the difference between saying I
have Italian extra virgin vs. saying "here's my Fusti tag with all of
the pertinent chemical parameters as detailed by my third party
laboratory analysis ALONG with full traceability in terms of production
method and lastly, origin certification.
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