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The words Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale roll off my tongue fairly readily these days, but it was not always so. Sometimes, when something has become very familiar in one’s life, it’s easy to forget the time that it was not always so familiar. That would be the case for me with Balsamic Vinegar.
Man on the ground in Italy…
Not the case for Don Vito de Carolis, Avanti Savoia’s intrepid man on the ground in Italy. Vito personally knows the producers and carefully selects the Italian products marketed by Avanti Savoia. Although Vito has upgraded and expanded my knowledge of Italy’s “liquid gold”, my introduction to it was over 30 years ago.
Drop by drop…
My first bottle was a gift from Chef Deborah Madison, founding chef at the San Francisco restaurant, Greens in historic Ft. Mason. Greens Restaurant is operated under the auspices of the San Francisco Zen Center and is one of our country’s premier vegetarian restaurants. I carefully brought my treasure home and discovered its pleasure by doling it out drop by drop.
Buyers beware…
Now we see “balsamic vinaigrettes” on fast food menus as well as a range of questionable products lined up on the grocery store shelves. BUYERS BEWARE… there is plenty of fake balsamic vinegar on the market. Many of these vinegars have only their name thing in common with the real thing. Currently, anyone anywhere can legally produce “Balsamic Vinegar of Modena”. They can range from very sweet to pungent and savory. The better quality (and more expensive) are aged at least three years while the “cheapies” are aged only a short time in stainless steel tanks and artificially sweetened and thickened. “Aceto Balsamico di Modena” (Balsamic Vinegar of Modena), is not the same as “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale” (Traditional Balsamic Vinegar).
Confident of the authenticity…
At Avanti Savoia, we take balsamic vinegars seriously and we are very confident of the authenticity of our entire line. REAL Balsamic Vinegars—the unique and noble “Gold Standard” of Italy—are produced only in the regions of Modena and Reggio Emilia. It has only been during the last few decades that American cooks have discovered balsamic vinegar and elevated it to “rock star” status in the culinary world. In Italy, balsamic vinegar has been prized for centuries. In medieval times, it was valued for its healing properties. For a thousand years, wealthy Italian families have produced balsamic vinegar for their own use.
Royalty and only the most fortunate guests...
Fine aged balsamic vinegars were considered treasured family heirlooms, often as part of a bride’s dowry. Considered “liquid gold,” small kegs of balsamic vinegar could be slowly consumed or even sold if economic conditions warranted. On special occasions, royalty and only the most fortunate guests might receive balsamic vinegar as a gift.
A select group of hoteliers...
At a recent event in Phoenix, Arizona, Avanti Savoia had the opportunity to showcase some of our more impressive balsamics at a tasting for a select group of hoteliers. Our invitation came from one of Phoenix’s premier caterers, Creative Hands Cuisine.
Sound familiar…
Owner and Executive Chef Doug Brochu and his wife/partner Camille Brochu describe their fare as “contemporary American Cuisine paired with a Mediterranean flair”. Sound familiar? The same concept could definitely be used to describe our attitude at Avanti Savoia.
The city of Phoenix’s “Point of Pride”…
The caterers provided really top notch fare at the location of the event, which was an elegant home perched on the side of Camelback Mountain, the city of Phoenix’s “Point of Pride”. The view of the sunset over the skyline of Phoenix was a stunning backdrop for a stunning event.
Our stellar products…
Avanti Savoia provided a Balsamic tasting bar with four of our stellar products. Included in this lineup were the following:
Acetaia Palatrini (Modena) Extra Vecchio 50 years
Giuseppe Giusti (Modena) Extra Vecchio 25 years
IL Borgo Gold (Reggio-Emilia) (Gold Corresponds to Extra Vecchio) 25 years
Giuseppe Giusti (Modena) Gold Medal Traditional 12 years
See our entire line of fine Balsamic.
Two of our most popular olive oils…
We also enhanced the tasting by including two of our most popular extra virgin olive oils; Paolo Cassini S’ciappau Gran Cru produced from the Taggiasca olive from the Linguria region of Northwest Italy and an organic oil, Marcinase pressed from the Coratina olive in the the Puglia region, the “boot heel” of Italy.
Several options…
The caterer provided a spread of delights to compliment our tasting including artisan breads, grapes, strawberries, chocolate, ice cream and a luscious platter of fine cheeses. We suggested several options to the guests for their tasting progression. For those interested in a serious comparative experience the plan was simply to taste the balsamics in the order of their ages.
The classic Italian manner of tasting…
That was accomplished by small amounts in demitasse spoons or in the classic Italian manner of tasting a small drop directly from the back of the hand. There were also those guests that wanted to sample different balsamics with the different foods. As is always the case with balsamic tastings, it was great fun to introduce the uninitiated to the joys of combining fine balsamic vinegar with strawberries or ice cream. The consensus favorite had to be the Giuseppe Giusti Extra Vecchio. This 25 year old beauty amazed us all with its deep round flavors full of delicate nuances. For much more information on Giuseppe Giusti and all things balsamic, read our post A Vinegar Primer.
Salt Maestro…
We also had an excellent time with the Salt Maestro, Mark Bitterman. Mark had also been invited to the event to share his love of gourmet salts and of course, there was much discussion between the two of us. Try Mark’s suggestion of a tiny pinch of fine salt on a strawberry drizzled with a 50 year Balsamic. WOW! Mark is the author of the amazingly beautiful new book, SALTED. For more info visit his website, www.the meadow.net
Thank you to Sara…
A last word about the staff of Creative Hands Cuisine – perfection; organized, skilled and focused. It was a pleasure to be their guest and I must offer a truly genuine thank you to Sara, my hard working attendant; she made a special evening infinitely more pleasant!
Viva Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale!
