When it comes to Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, the mind immediately travels to Emilia, in that land where black gold has been produced since immemorial time.

If geographically it is now in the common imagination that Modena is the homeland of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar PDO, not everyone knows that the real secret of this nectar lies in its production environments: the “Acetaia”. Only by visiting those that are mostly converted attics and barns is it possible to discover the secret of the goodness of vinegar and appreciate the mixture of place and time.

In fact, in the old “Acetaia” the COLLECTIONS GRANDMOTHER and PARADISE mature, traditional balsamic vinegars of Modena PDO taken from precious and ancient ultra-secular barrels.

GRANDMOTHER’S COLLECTION 2022

The first jar of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO, preserved in the Acetaia del Cristo, dates back to 1849: in the old vinegar cellar this precious ultra-secular battery of great-grandmother Maria is jealously guarded, from which a few cruets are taken every year that create the annual Collection to her dedicated, renamed “Grandmother’s Collection”.

A collection consisting of 27 numbered cruets of Traditional Extra Old Balsamic Vinegar, packaged in a fine hand-painted wooden box, which creates a real collector’s item.

This noble package, reserved for our finest selections, this year too, as from its first edition, is made up of a hand-painted lid. In the 2022 edition, Maria Luisa Bergamini, our family artist, reproduces the “Funeral of the Fox” (School of Wiligelmo – Stories of King Arthur)

Letting herself be inspired by the “Porta della Peschiera”, the magnificent northern access to the Cathedral of Modena, the artist transported the architectural immensity of this door onto the packaging, to highlight the importance of the two subjects, the imposing Romanesque Cathedral and the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO.

Inside the package, in addition to the Giugiaro Design cruet with Extra Old Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO –”the Fabulous!” Grandmother’s Collection 2022, the Tasting Spoon and a special Certificate of belonging to the vintage lot. This Extra old Traditional Balsamic Vinegar can be defined as a collector’s item that when tasted alone floods the palate with infinite sensations whose high persistence will accompany you until next year.

WHEN THE ANCIENT MODENESE TRADITION REACHES HEAVENLY NOTES: PARADISE COLLECTION 2022

Like any old barn, the structure of the original Acetaia climbs along impervious steps between floors of even minimal heights, mezzanines and boxes up to the highest floor of the structure, named Paradise attic: another secret place for these creators of Balsamic Vinegar, a casket that contains the essence, history and passion of a product. From here the PARADISE Collection comes to life.

A limited production each year to a few cruets, obtained from very ancient ultra-centuries-old barrels: the sampling is carried out alternately from each of the barrels that make up the whole of the Paradiso attic, obtaining a product whose personality, always of great impact, now leans towards refinement decided by juniper, now for the soft sweetness of cherry.

The PARADISE Collection is available in just 27 numbered cruets, containing  Extra Old Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO, it is enclosed in a noble wooden box whose lid has been hand painted.

In this edition, our artist, Maria Luisa Bergamini, reproduces the detail of a miniature from the Relatio depicting the architect Lanfranco directing the construction of the Modena Cathedral.

This reproduction is also our very personal way of thanking those who built and bequeathed this grandiose example of Romanesque architecture to us in Modena; a representation that we hope will intrigue our customers to visit Modena and our Acetaia.

Inside the package, in addition to the Giugiaro Design cruet with Extra Old Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO – “the Fabulous!” PARADISE 2022 Collection, the Tasting Spoon, a special Certificate of belonging to the vintage lot and the cookbook in 5 languages.

CONDUCTORS OF ACETAIA SINCE 4 GENERATIONS

So since four generations Acetaia del Cristo has been taking its steps daily in the historic Acetaia, moving during the different stages of production within a physical place and a cultural heritage made up of over 2000 barrels exclusively devoted to Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO. Today it ‘s Daniele and Gilberto who continue the family business, striving to transmit the charm of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, in the past reserved for family uses and jealously guarded in the attic by their ancestors.

They personally take care of every stage of processing in full compliance with the most ancient traditions and the PDO disciplinary: thanks to the care of the organically owned vineyards, Acetaia del Cristo creates its own black gold from the grape harvest to the subsequent cooking of the musts up to the delicate operations of sampling, decanting and filling.

It is only thanks to this heritage handed down from 1849 to today, from generation to generation, that it is possible to taste extra-old balsamic vinegars over a hundred years old such as GrandMother’s and Paradise Collections now available on our shop online.

GrandMother’s and PARADISE 2022 collections are finally available!

Visit our shop online and buy a real collector’s item: you can also choose the number of the cruet that you want from those still available.

Hurry up, there are only 27 cruets per collection!