LA VECCHIA DISPENSA 100-YR BALSAMIC

40 Ml Bottle

Very limited quantities.

Balsamics aged 100 years or more are a rare find these days. They become as dense as molasses, and their fragrance and flavor are deep and heady - think of a 40 year old Tawny Port and you're just scratching the surface of dark caramel, raisin, and a whole host of secondary notes.

Since it ages constantly, the characteristics of balsamic vinegar in the various aging phases vary. After a certain number of years, it becomes denser, loses fluidity and develops a real richness. At this point it should be treated with devotion.

Balsamic of this quality may be appreciated to the full on hunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, on strawberries or on ice cream, or simply sipped at the end of a meal.

This special vinegar is bottled for us in very small quantities, and is limited to quantities on hand.



About Balsamic:

Modena Balsamic Vinegar is a matured vinegar obtained from the boiled must of choice grapes grown in the Province of Modena, with the addition of colonies of vinegar bacteria known as "mothers". In the ageing process, the vinegar is transferred between a succession of barrels of different sizes and different types of wood combined in specific sets. Balsamic vinegar is dark brown in colour, has a piercing aroma with an attractive acid note, and becomes denser as the years pass.

Skilled vinegar makers each have their own secrets, handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. The aging process gives balsamic vinegar the characteristics that make it truly unique.

It's still made in the traditional way, by fermenting the must of Trebbiano grapes in barrels of costly woods - oak, mulberry, chestnut, cherry and juniper - which over the years gradually give the vinegar its inimitable fragrance and flavor.



About the Producers:

It was in 1973 that the Pelloni family opened the Al Castello restaurant in the medieval setting of the Piazza della Dama in Modena. Mario Pelloni was not born a restaurateur, but his previous profession was linked to foods, and thanks to his wife's love of cooking and the cooperation of his daughter Roberta and son-in-law Marino, he made a success of the venture by offering dishes prepared in the genuine local ways now unfortunately on the verge of extinction. The items on the menu are mainly based on the traditional cookery of the Modena region.

Previous generations of the Pelloni family had also been skillful in preparing many preserves, from vegetables pickled in oil or vinegar to fruit in syrup and jams, and finally the liqueurs typical of the Modena tradition.

Last but not least came their production of balsamic vinegar, with output gradually increasing to considerable quantities over the years. Continuous requests from restaurant customers for jars of delicacies to enjoy at home led to the creation of a larger organisation to produce the various products.

And so, in an attractive old building also overlooking the Piazza della Dama, the Pelloni family established La Vecchia Dispensa, with a production area, a showroom, and an exhibition on the upper floors, right up to the attics containing the batteries of barrels for production of balsamic vinegar. The name is drawn from the peasant lifestyle of bygone days, when every home had a cupboard known as the "dispensa" used to store foods preserved during the summer months to allow the family to survive the hard winters unscathed.

Since 1993, products have been produced and sold by Roberta Pelloni and her husband Marino Tintori, who have introduced new packaging while keeping faith with the traditional production methods, and brought their products to a wider market of appreciative customers.

Balsamic vinegar takes center stage in the output of La Vecchia Dispensa; the company considers it the resulting jewel of its labors.