The Great Vinegar Regions of the World

Reginald SmithAll About Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, Chinese Vinegars, Regional Vinegars, Sherry Vinegar, Uncategorized, Vinegar History6 Comments

There are many great wine regions of the world from France to California to South Africa to Australia. Likewise, there are many great olive oil producing regions, many in the Mediterranean but also in California and other regions as well. What are the great regions for vinegar though? Vinegar is often mass produced but some regions retain a title as … Read More

Vinegar Aging and Value

Reginald SmithAll About Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, Chinese Vinegars, Making Vinegar, Sherry Vinegar, Vinegar IndustryLeave a Comment

Read the full book on the history of vinegar, Vinegar, The Eternal Condiment available on Amazon! Besides raw material, one of the big differentiators between premium and regular vinegars is the aging process. This can range from 2 months for Balsamic of Modena IGP to 6 months for basic sherry vinegar to 12 years for Gran Reserva Sherry or 25 … Read More

Could balsamic vinegar ever become an asset class?

Reginald SmithAll About Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, Regional Vinegars, Vinegar Industry2 Comments

I have a feeling every oenophile that clicks on this post is probably laughing hysterically at the headline. For decades, fine wine has been bought and sold by not just individuals but also auctioned in high end auction houses such as Southeby’s and Christie’s for ungodly sums due to fine wine’s ability to both retain its value and grow in … Read More

High temperatures threaten balsamic vinegars in Italy

Reginald SmithBalsamic Vinegar, Microbiology, Vinegar IndustryLeave a Comment

A recent story in the vinegar world of Italy is the effect of extended record high temperatures on traditional balsamic vinegar makers in Modena and Reggio Emilia. In particular, the ‘il caldo africano’, a heavy, hot wind that blows into Italy from North Africa, has set record high temperatures for weeks of July and August. This is not as much … Read More

Balsamic Vinegar’s Manufacturing Process

Reginald SmithAll About Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, Regional Vinegars10 Comments

See part I on the history of balsamic and part II on the types of balsamic   Balsamic vinegar’s manufacturing process depends heavily on the type of balsamic as mentioned in the previous post. While almost all varieties use wine vinegar, even the presence of grape must is not a given with generic balsamic vinegar or balsamic condiments. We will … Read More

A History of Balsamic Vinegar

Reginald SmithAll About Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, Vinegar History5 Comments

Read the full book on the history of vinegar, Vinegar, The Eternal Condiment available on Amazon! Balsamic vinegar’s origins are obscure. Some assert they go back to the Roman Empire with fermentation of the grape must sapa. Others believe that, like butter, it may have existed but its true development came during the Middle Ages. The term ‘balsamic’ itself comes … Read More