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Balsamico Giardini
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Giardini, Art & Cooking
Italy is internationally known for its art and its cuisine, two excellences rooted in history. Art and cooking are often merged, as it happens with the Giardini Balsamic Vinegar with its name inspired by the mansion of the Palazzo Ducale gardens in Modena.
Iconic location during the Golden Age of the Duchy of Este – the 18th century – the historical mansion used to host lavish parties and opulent banquets where the food served would later symbolise the local gastronomic tradition. This was the part where the production of Balsamic Vinegar started to be considered as an art and from that time it was handed down for generations.
Result? A precious and unique condiment, made with patience and care just like the artist chiselling his work, to achieve a rich bouquet of flavours and tastes for the delight of palate. This is one of the gastronomic prides of the territory, along with: Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Modena, Lambrusco wine.
From our own vineyards.
The harvest
The main ingredient of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is the cooked must of local grapes, from Trebbiano and Lambrusco variety.
All the production phases of Giardini Balsamic Vinegar take place in Modena area, respecting the natural and traditional local timing, scrupulously handed down from father to son. When the hot summer temperatures of the Po Valley start to subside, it’s party time! The time of harvesting, that we like to do manually so that to feel in our hands the ripest and most fragrant grape bunches.
The slow simmering of grape must.
The Cooking
The juice obtained from the grape crushing is cooked in open-top boilers, on high heat, but without reaching the max boiling: no hurry, slow cooking for more than 36 hours, until the liquid is halved in volume. It will then acquire that typical flavour which will be transformed years later in our Balsamic Vinegar bottle: an elixir of scents and flavours which need a very long aging in wood casks and the upmost dedication to create an inimitable product. This is the reason why Balsamic vinegar of Modena stands out from any other seasoning.
The aromatic notes of fine woods.
Aging in barrique
The traditional production method of Balsamic vinegar involves the long aging of the cooked grape must in wood barriques made of different woods (oak, chestnut, cherry, juniper, ash, mulberry, acacia), to absorb all the aromas released by each wood. Balsamic Vinegar rests in the well-ventilated attics of the “acetaie” (Vinegar rooms) where the maximum temperature range is reached, from hot and humid summers to harsh winters, which contribute to achieve its slow transformation.
The good balsamic lies in the small cask.
The travasi
12 years of aging in wood casks is the minimum required to obtain the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP “Affinato” and at least 25 years for the “Extra-Vecchio”, during which the product is transferred into smaller and smaller barrels made of different woods where it concentrates naturally, becoming thick and velvety sweet-and-sour.
Balsamic vinegar is a dynamic product due to the annual transfers and refills that are a fundamental phase during the aging time. Thanks to this patient and meticulous passage, each bottle of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena contains unique nuances, which are the result of the artisans’ skills.
Quality is in the label.
The bottling
The certified Traditional Balsamic vinegar of Modena DOP is bottled in the special and unique 100ml glass container designed by Giugiaro. Bottling is supervised by the appointed certifying body and the last phase is the affixing of the guarantee seal. Impossible to get mistaken: the DOP certified product is recognizable, and the DOP logo evidences its guaranteed quality.
The other denomination Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP also guarantees that the product is bottled in controlled geographic area and respects the production guidelines and quality standards required, just like all other balsamic Giardini, it is a 100% natural product, without thickeners, colourings or preservatives.
Not only balsamic vinegar
Our balsamic world is not only made of certified Balsamic vinegars: besides the IGP and DOP products, we offer other Balsamic condiments based on high-quality raw material, created for the contemporary gastronomy.
The Pearls, the balsamic creams and the aged condiments are a few examples of the rich Giardini line, along with the flavoured dressings, jams, Extra Virgin olive oil and the Saba, a grape must sirup very well known in the farming tradition. A varied and colorful array of flavours to enrich any food preparations.