Source: Wikipedia
There are only two P.D.O. that certify the production of balsamic vinegar according to the procedure defined as traditional, the production tradition of the richest families and aristocratic land typical. For them, the production begins with the reduction and concentration by cooking of the local grape must (mostly Trebbiano and Lambrusco). The cooked must is then fermented, acetified and aged in batteries of wooden barrels for a minimum period of 12 years, during which the product is concentrated further in a natural way, and after which it begins to make an annual amount of the product of 2-3 liters (about 35-40 liters of fresh product every year are tucked in a battery average).
Taken from the barrels smaller, the product must be tasted and approved by a commission of expert tasters, before being bottled at the authorized center in the typical bottle of 100 ml. Only then the product will be called “Traditional Balsamic Vinegar” of Modena and Reggio Emilia P.D.O. Each bottle bears a numbered seal, and shows both the label’s legal bottling center authorized both the manufacturer’s label.
The two different P.D.O. are distinguished mainly by the shape of the bottles in which the product is sold (both still 100 ml). The “traditional” which overtakes 25 years of age and a minimum score by the tasting committee, both of Modena both of Reggio Emilia, can be sold with the indication “extra old”, accompanied by a capsule or a dot of gold. The “traditional” in Reggio Emilia, less than 25 years, is further divided into “sticker Lobster” and “silver dot”, depending on the score obtained from the product during the tasting.
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