| REINASSANCE
OF THE OLD WORLD FLAVOR |
For centuries,
the vinegar known as "Balsamic" has been
considered a pride possession of the Italian people,
rarely leaving the homes where it was made. On rare
occasions, it was given as a gift to special recipients
including the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III from Duke
Boniface of Canossa as early as 1046. In ancient history
Balsamic Vinegar was believed to have therapeutic
properties. In the Middle Ages it was served as a
cordial and used in cooking. Within the last decade
Balsamic Vinegar has enjoyed a revival which now extends
beyond the shores of Italy. This newly rediscovered
product is intense in flavor and aroma.
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Balsamic Vinegar begins with the
crushing of sun-ripened grapes. This grape juice called "must",
is concentrated through simmering in copper caldrons over wood
fires until it is reduced to about 40% of its original weight.
This densely concentrated liquid is placed in wooden barrels of
oak, cherry, mulberry, chestnut and juniper for aging. As the
years go by some of the liquid in the barrel evaporates and some
is absorbed into the wood. Each year the vinegar is transferred
into smaller barrels of different woods.
This processing and the master Vinegar maker's hands-on experience
gives Balsamic Vinegar the delicate flavor of the woods and the
sweetness of the sunripened grapes. In 1889, Armando De Nigris
founded the small vinegar Company which was passed to his son,
Marcello in 1951. Today, the enlarged and modernized De Nigris
factory continues to operate as a family run business producing
a full line of vinegars including Balsamic Vinegar of Modena,
Flavoured Vinegar and Wine Vinegar for export. We are proud to
present our special line of Italian vinegars featuring our aged
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.
Our experience as a family company enables us to bring the
Flavors of the past to the pleasure of new cuisine. |
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| THE
QUALITY CERTIFICATIONS |
Each quality of vinegar produced by de Nigris is measured according
to strict quality control standards developed by the producer and
recognized and used by many professional certifiers worldwide. As
the popularity of this special vinegar grew, de Nigris understood
that the consumer needed information about the different qualities
of balsamic vinegar of Modena in order to make the correct choice
for purchase and use. Consequently, in 1980, de Nigris adopted a classification
system that designates a number, referred to as "Stars"
for each quality. Beginning with the youngest balsamic, 4 stars, and
continuing today to the long aged 25 stars; each bottle is identified
with the number prominently shown on the main display panel of the
label. The numeric quality level identifies the quantity of concentrated
aged "must" inside the finished goods and is measured through
chemical and physical analysis in the laboratory. As shown below the
balsamic vinegars are divided into 6 categories. In ascending order,
the quality of the vinegar improves in sweetness, mellowness and flavour.
Similarly, the cost is commensurate with the quality and consequently,
the consumer, using the star system can determine which quality bests
fits their personal use.
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