Connoisseurs Find Balsamic Vinegars
Worth Investment
Excerpts from an article by Tom Greenwood in
The Detroit News - December 5, 1996

Want a sure-fire, long-term investment?
 
Move to Modena, Italy, cook down huge batches of unfermented juice from Trebbiano grapes, then pour it into wooden barrels that are, oh, 400 or 500 years old.
 
Age it for up to 100 years, designate it as aceto balsamico tradizionale balsamic vinegar, then sell it for $135 for a 3.5 ounce bottle.
 
Or, drive to your nearest fine food emporium and stand in line to snap up small, ornate bottles of the world's finest balsamic vinegars: concentrated vinegars so exceptional in taste, complexity and tradition that in Italy, they're often given as wedding dowrys.
 
"In order to be an authentic balsamic vinegar, they have to be from Modena, Italy," said Wayne Arnsbarger, food buyer for the Merchant of Vino in Birmingham. "These are vinegars that are for people who are serious about fine cooking."
 
According to Arnsbarger, the cheaper brands start at about $3.99 a bottle, but the taste is a shadow of the rare Cavelli Bros. gold label balsamic which can hit $160 for a 3.5-ounce bottle.
 
"We carry a very good olive oil called badia a coltibuono," Arnsbarger said. "It goes for $35 a liter. Use it with a little Cavelli Bros. gold label balsamic vinegar and you've got yourself a pretty expensive salad dressing."
 
Lisa Warren, a "gourmet guide" at Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, is in love with balsamic vinegars. "They've stolen my heart," she said with a laugh. "We carry the two best balsamics in the world -- Cavelli Bros. in the red, silver and gold labels; and Vecchia Dispensa.
 
What makes a true balsamic is the crucial give and take between the ancient wooden barrels and the vinegar. "It's a magical process. The barrels are aged for years, then are taste-tested and graded by the government. The vinegar master in Italy is respected like an artist." According to Warren, Zingerman's is the only establishment to give taste testings of true balsamics. "One drop of a true balsamic on the palate ripples like a stone dropped into the water," she said. "I love to take customers up the line to the best balsamic. It's a journey for the taste buds."
 
About balsamic vinegars:

• In Italy, true balsamics are often drunk as an aperitif because as it ages and concentrates, the vinegar approaches the consistency of port wine.

 

• At Zingerman's, a Cavelli Bros. red label balsamic will be about 35 years old and sells for $65 for 3.5 ounces; silver label is about 52 years old, and sells for $95; a gold label balsamic would be from the 1800s and would retail at about $135.

 

• These aren't the kind of vinegars you sprinkle on your french fries. Warren suggests a few drops on ice cream, strawberries, ripe pears with Stilton cheese, and for an authentic taste of Italy, try a drop or two on cubes of Reggiano parmesano.

 

• The balsamic craze began in this country about 15 years ago, when Luciano Pavarotti, lusty eater and Modena native, sang the praises of balsamics.

 

Copyright 1996, The Detroit News