De Nigris Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena became our go-to vinegar by accident. Here’s a story of how it became one of our favorite salad dressings and flavor-enhancing secrets.
We never use shortcuts in the seasoning of our food, and store-bought salad dressing is a “persona non-grata” in our home. Often we use different kinds of vinegar in our salads along with other spices. And just as with wine, we are very particular about the vinegar we use.
So when we were vacationing in the Arizona mansion, of course, we had to buy some kind of vinegar for our salads. The options were limited at a local supermarket, and we picked a bottle of De Nigris Aged Balsamic Vinegar. We haven’t used De Negri’s vinegar before, and, snobs as we are, we hoped that it was good enough since it comes from Modena.
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
Naturally, this Balsamic Vinegar is named after Modena of the Emilia-Romagna Region in Northern Italy.
Like with wine’s DOC, Modena has specific production requirements and only balsamic vinegar that meets precise parameters gets a stamp of approval from an industry consortium. Yes, they got a consortium for everything in Italy, even vinegar.
To be called “Balsamic Vinegar of Modena” the product:
- Must be produced in Modena or neighboring Reggio Emilia region in Italy
- Must be made from white Trebbiano grapes grown in one of those two places
- Must be aged in wooden barrels for at least 12 years
You might wonder why Modena vinegar is dark if it’s made from white grapes. The answer is in how it’s made.
In the first step of production, the grapes are pressed, and the juice is cooked. During the cooking process, sugars darken through the process of caramelization. And that’s what gives the Modena vinegar its dark color.
Next, the reduced syrupy grape juice is fermented and aged in a series of wooden barrels similar to the sherry solera system. The aging process helps vinegar acquire a sophisticated flavor profile. The best examples aged for 25 years or more.
Thanks to its unique qualities, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena earned an excellent reputation over the years, becoming an internationally famous product and vinegar of choice for many chefs.
Some Modena Vinegar is so good that you can drink it as an aperitif. Try it when you visit Modena.
De Nigris Vinegar Story
The De Nigris vinegar factory began production over 120 years ago when Armando De Nigris opened the first vinegar mill in Naples. His son Marcello successfully continued Armando’s work and introduced De Nigris Vinegars to the international market.
De Nigris follows the philosophy from vine to table. The Trebbiano grapes from their seven IGP certified estate vineyards are explicitly grown for vinegar production. De Negris also has Non-GMO and USDA Organic certificates.
Becoming Our Go-to Vinegar
We were pleasantly surprised by how tasty, and complex De Nigris Balsamic Vinegar was. First, we tried it in salads, and soon we found out that it enhances grilled vegetable flavors and makes homemade salad dressings unforgettable. Just drizzling it over the poached fish or even a steak makes a big difference, especially if you pair it with wine.
We would love to hear your culinary adventures and suggestions with other vinegar to try. Please leave your comments below.
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