When you discover the world of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO and visit the Acetaia del Cristo, you are fascinated by the countless barrels of precious wood kept in the attics.
And considering the ages of the barrels, one is speechless thinking that the balsamic passion in Acetaia del Cristo dates back to 1849, like the oldest barrel!!
Can the wood of the barrel transmit aromas to the traditional balsamic it contains even after a long time?
It is necessary to remember that the Balsamic barrels are never completely emptied, so it does not happen, as for barricaded wines, that in a few years of “filling and emptying” the tannins of the barrels are washed out.
The Balsamic and the woods of its barrels mature and age together. Vinegar, in the first years of its evolution that takes place inside the barrels, is shaped in its character to then concentrate, in subsequent years, in the fibers of the wood itself contributing to the release of the most “noble” tannins.
Moreover, it is important to know that a new barrel, before accepting the must destined to become Balsamic, is left to “purge” for at least a year with strong vinegar (which is then completely eliminated because it is too laden with tannins).
The barrels are ready to accept the cooked and fermented must which will become, over time, the Modenese black gold, the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO.
