Earlier, barrel balsamic vinegar has become the most prevalent food ingredient in Italy. Now it has been circulated in most supermarkets across the world. It is absolutely the best gourmet product known for its delicious & smooth flavor. Also, it will let you find a perfect balance between acidity, sweetness, thick and velvety texture. However, balsamic vinegar available in the market has nothing to do with the traditional barrel-aged balsamic Vinegar.
Balsamic-aged vinegar is dark, slightly sweet, rich in flavor, and thick in texture. It is used to enhance salad dressings, marinades, and sauces. It can be drizzled over strawberries, stirred into a risotto, or tossed with Brussels sprouts or red onions to allow its sugars to caramelize in the oven. But what is barrel-aged balsamic vinegar, and how is it produced? What makes balsamic vinegar so costly than others? Let’s find out the answer to such a query!
Do you wonder what balsamic-aged vinegar is and how it is made? Traditional balsamic aged vinegar is made only with one ingredient that is a grape must. It is nothing but the sweet juice that comes from freshly pressed grapes. Using the traditional method, they are boiled to reduce their volume and concentrate their sugars. It is then fermented and acidified over time in different wooden barrels for additional flavor. It will be kept for 12 to 25 or even more years in selective wood barrels made out of oak, juniper, mulberry, ash, cherry, and chestnut wood. It is because the wood is a porous element, and it will absorb the moisture content over time.
Ultimately it will make the content more concentrated, eventually transforming its consistency from thin to syrupy. The vinegar ages in the barrels also will obtain the flavors from the wood. Hence the mix of sweet grape must, acid, selective wood barrel, and the aging process are the deciding factors that bring the sweetness of balsamic vinegar. Such a process softens the acidity portion of the balsamic vinegar with time.
Traditional balsamic aged vinegar is a unique product that needs skill, experience, and craftsmanship. Its making takes place in small batches. Its sweet, tart, syrupy, dark texture and its making process make it expensive as well! There is no wonder that the production volume is low and the prices are high! After twelve years of the aging process, the vinegar is shifted to small wooden barrels and kept for the next fifteen to twenty years.
After the aging procedure, some portion of the vinegar is pulled out from the most miniature barrel to be bottled. At the same time, the vinegar in that barrel is refilled with the vinegar in the next larger barrel kept in the line of barrel stags. Highly crafted balsamic aged vinegar is produced in a small batch and can cost anywhere from $50 to $200 and even more for a small bottle. You will only find this pricy aged balsamic vinegar online or in a specialty store.
Numerous companies are making aged balsamic vinegar using traditional methods that rival the quality of the best conventional balsamic aged vinegar from Italy. Sonoma Farm is also a leading company that produces barrel-aged balsamic vinegar and brings it to ultimate consumers worldwide. Sonoma Farm barrel-aged balsamic vinegar comes from the pure or unfermented white Trebbiano grape juice, aged in wooden barrels according to time-honored traditional techniques. They produce standard barrel-aged almond and balsamic apple vinegar and balsamic glaze as well. For the client’s flexibility, they supply it in budget-friendly bottles or bulk gallons. If you need a 200 ml bottle or one or five-gallon jar, then call at 708-834-0025 or visit their website today!