Trebbiano grapes from Modena, Italy, are used to make balsamic vinegar.
Balsamic vinegar starts with a reduction made from pressings of Trebbianno grapes. Only grapes grown in Modena, Italy, can be used. The mixture is aged in wooden caskets like wine. Each year, the mixture is transferred to a different type of wooden barrel to absorb a new flavor. Seven different types of wood are used. The complex flavor of balsamic vinegar is developed over time. The most expensive balsamic vinegars are aged from 12 to as many as 150 years. There are specific ways to tell whether the dressing has spoiled.
Instructions
1. Smell the balsamic dressing. If it lacks an odor, that means the ingredients that impart the flavor have evaporated. So the vinegar has gone "bad" in the sense of having no taste. Cap the next bottle tightly to prevent evaporation.
2. Look at the dressing. Cloudy vinegar is called the "mother vinegar" and is actually used as a starter. If you don't like the appearance of it, remove it from the liquid by straining or filtering it.
3. Check the label on the bottle to make sure it contains vinegar. Vinegar is a preservative so there is no harmful bacteria. There will not be an expiration date on the bottle because the older the vinegar is the better.
Tags: Italy used, Modena Italy, Modena Italy used