"Extra Vecchio" - Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

The Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena "Extra Vecchio" is a vinegar aged for at least 25 years. With a harmonious and mature flavor, it is characterized by its high density and intense and persistent aroma.

It earned the title of "Extra Vecchio" after 25 years the vinegar is aged in fine wood barrels, taken from small barrels after the slow acidification of the cooked grape must.

Stored in attics or lofts with different climatic variations typical of the Modena area, it ages in batteries of barrels of different capacities and different woods, thus becoming the precious Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

It is the wood that gives the vinegar its distinctive notes.

The dark color comes from aging in chestnut wood barrels, mulberry wood concentrates the product more quickly, juniper wood gives off resinous essences, cherry wood softens the flavor, while oak wood gives the mature vinegar a typical vanilla flavor.

Originally created as a digestive to be taken in small glasses at the end of a meal, over time it has found its way onto the menus of great international chefs, from appetizers to desserts.

After a rigorous examination by the Consortium of Producers of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, of which Ermes Malpighi is one of the founders, the vinegar can be bottled in special bottles approved by the Consortium and designed by the famous designer Giorgietto Giugiaro.

Each bottle is sealed with a numbered guarantee seal.

The history of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar is full of charm and mystery. It is the story of a product, the result of human ingenuity and passion, which dates back over 1000 years, between history and legend.

We can find precise information about this vinegar-based "elixir" in various documents belonging to the Dukes of Este, who are credited with introducing balsamic vinegar to many European courts of their time: in 1764, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, sent her Chancellor on a diplomatic mission to the capitals of Europe, and when he arrived in Modena, he asked for several bottles of balsamic vinegar from the ducal vinegar cellars to be sent to Moscow; in 1792 in Frankfurt, on the occasion of the coronation of Archduke Francis II of Austria as Holy Roman Emperor, Duke Ercole III d'Este considered his "Secolare" vinegar worthy of being sent as a gift to the Emperor in the modest quantity of one bottle.

The malpighi family is one of the oldest producers of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (since 1850, now in its fifth generation), and owns 3,000 barrels in which ABTM is aged and acidified.

• Appearance: Clear.
• Color: Dark brown, intense and bright.
• Aroma: Strong and harmonious.
• Taste: Sweet and sour, dense, full and velvety.
• Density: 1.34.