Make Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar originated in Modena, Italy and has been made exclusively in that region of the country for years. Balsamic vinegar is a sweet, very thick type of vinegar used as a salad dressing, a marinade or as a way to season food. Use these steps to make your own balsamic vinegar.

Steps

  1. Purchase 5 wine barrels of decreasing size. These types of barrels are found in stores that cater to wine making.
    • The wood of the barrel can be mulberry, chestnut, oak or cherry. Choose one of these wood types based on the desired flavor of the vinegar. You can use multiple woods.
    • Choose a mulberry barrel for a spicy aroma and bolder taste.
    • Choose an oak barrel to keep the vinegar thicker, as oak permits less evaporation.
    • Choose a chestnut barrel for a rich brownish red color.
    • Choose a cherry wood barrel for a sweeter final taste.
  2. Clean the barrel. Use a mixture of vinegar, salt and water to eliminate bacteria and impurities.
  3. Buy ripe Trebbiano and/or Lambrusco grapes.
    • These are white grapes grown mostly in the Modena region of Italy, but they can be grown elsewhere if weather permits. These grapes are harvested at the end of fall. Buy enough grapes so 80 percent of each barrel can be filled with liquid.
  4. Crush the grapes. P them through a sieve.
  5. Allow the juice to settle for 15 minutes.
  6. Transfer the juice into a large kettle.
  7. Boil the juice. Let it simmer at 190 degrees Fahrenheit (87.7 degrees Celsius) for 24 hours. Do not exceed 195 degrees or your mosto will not ferment in the next stage.
    • The process of long simmering the juice reduces it to half of its original volume and creates a mosto, which in English is "must." This is very sweet syrup.
  8. Cool the mosto. Let it sit for several hours.
  9. Put mosto in a non-reactive container (glass, stainless, or open barrel to ferment) Once it's finished fermenting, Move the mosto into each barrel.
  10. Cover each barrel's opening with a mesh cloth. This allows evaporation and reduction of the liquid.
  11. Wait 6 months.
  12. Fill the smallest barrel with liquid from the next largest. Repeat the filling process until you reach the largest barrel.
  13. Pour new mosto into the largest barrel.
    • If you're not making any more balsamic vinegar, you can skip this step.
  14. Continue to transfer liquid from the larger barrels to the next smallest one once every year for 5 years.
  15. Take {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of the vinegar from the smallest barrel.
    • This is not yet authentic balsamic vinegar, but it is a form of vinegar.
  16. Continue to transfer liquid from the larger barrels to the next smallest once every year for another 7 years.



Tips

  • You can send your balsamic vinegar, after 12 years, to the Italian consortium to become certified as genuine if it passes the standards.
  • You can add a "mother of vinegar" into the barrel during the initial transfer of the mosto to the barrel. This will ensure that the yeast grows.
  • The vinegar must go through two fermentations. The initial one is when it is removed from the stove and allowed to sit and then again when a "mother" is introduced.
  • Allowing your mosto to evaporate in barrels located in an attic is closest to the traditional method of creating balsamic vinegar.

Warnings

  • If you simmer the grape juice above 195 degrees Fahrenheit (90.55 degrees Celsius), the sugar will caramelize and won't be able to ferment.
  • If the barrel is not filled to at least 80 percent with mosto, the process will not work.

Things You'll Need

  • 5 barrels of decreasing size
  • Vinegar
  • Salt
  • White Italian grapes
  • Water
  • Sieve
  • Large kettle
  • Mesh cloth
  • Mother of vinegar (optional)

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Sources and Citations

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