Woods

	Chesnut, sweet, workable and yet with good leak-proof qualities, thanks to its tannin is capable of giving the vinegar an intense dark colour. White after processing, in time it acquires more typical shades. With a quite complex and not always regular vein, it remains among the most appreciated woods.
	Chesnut is typical of the medium-high Appennines. It is a big tree, quite long living; for centuries it has represented means of nourishment in poor mountain areas. Its workable, hard wearing wood is much used in cask construction.

	False acacia it wood is strong, hard and compact and is particularly suited to extra-long lasting utilization, for it ensures near-perfect leakproof performance. The colour is straw-yellow, tending toward amber through the years. With regard to the Balsamico it contributes a notable betterment in acidity, thus favouring acetification.
	Acacias compose bushes in the vicinities of water courses; they are characterized by the embossed bark. Acacia is a leguminous plant with very heavy, long lasting wood; it easily grows on dykes and in hilly country. The Ark of the Covenant was made of acacia wood.

Cherry very fine, with a sour-cherry (‘amarella’) flavour. It is an easily worked wood, highly appreciated and beautiful in its pink colouring. Several producers have activated monochromatic batteries made of this essence, as it has been ascertained that Balsamico’s flavour is further enhanced by it.

Vast are the lands devoted to the rearing of cherry trees; in the Vignola area, close to the town of Spilamberto, typical Balsamico area, cherry-trees prosper right at the joining of the flatlands with the first hills of Modena province. Cherry is a medium size tree, seldom passing a 15-metre height; it hates pruning and is therefore reared in the shape it naturally develops in open land. The marvellous sight of its blossoming over vast areas attracts numerous visitors, who come from everywhere to enjoy the unusual, fascinating spectacle.

Juniper burden and blessing of the Balsamico battery. Learned disputes have been taking place repeatedly on the use of Juniper as wanted by tradition, as on the one side its unmistakable flavour endows the vinegar with a marked and prompt character, whilst on the other its clear presence is not always desirable, as contributions from other more neutral woods are sometimes preferred, so as to obtain a final product carrying less evident flavours. That notwithstanding, Juniper remains one of the most appreciated essences for the simple fact that planking apt to the purpose is not always easy to find, the tree having virtually disappeared throughout the Emilian Appennines, where in previous centuries availability presented no problem: whoever owns a cask made of juniper usually takes great care of it.

Juniper is an evergreen of unremarkable dimensions growing spontaneously in several areas of the Appennines. In recent times its availability has become difficult owing to the intervened scarcity of the trees and of the modest size of those remaining. The wood is resinous and exceptionally long lasting, and is highly appreciated for use in Balsamico batteries.

Ash a strong, compact wood with a hard fibre. With regard to Balsamico it is neutral, in as much it does not yield any tannin. Its white, elegantly veined colour, helps acidity without altering the colour at all

The ashtree is an arboreal essence which has always been integral part of the wooded zones of the Balsamico provinces. It is fast growing and can attain large dimensions; its very white wood is widely used in joinery and therefore its rearing is favoured. It is often depicted in the local ichonography, including frescos, paintings and portraits of the past, as well as in heraldry, in testimony of its endemic widespread presence.

Mulberry very common in the past, for it was used to erect the so called piantate, rows placed to mark the boundaries of agricoltural estates. The choice of this tree was prompted also by silkworm rearing, which was an additional income for the meagre earnings of peasant families. Having this activity disappeared even before the second world war, mulberry has nevertheless remained in use, as the porosity due to its large spring circles allows a quick concentration of Balsamico. Deep yellow after felling, mulberry gets rapidly oxidized, acquiring a dark red colour. The wood is soft and easily workable.

Mulberry is a medium size tree which was extensively reared in the 19th century owing to the silkworm economy then common in our region. Women used to ‘go for the leaf’, that is to say, they procured the mulberry leaves that were fed to silkworms hosted in appropriate containers, and thus contributed to the meagre family income. Mulberry has porous wood, with ample spring rings; leaves somewhat recalling those of vines, frequently attacked by both insects and virosis.

Oak is the typical wood for casks. Its compact and long lasting fibre, its nice walnut colour and the lightness of its flavour are the best and most desirable qualities for receiving the more mature Balsamico. Generally, it is useful at any position in the battery. Barriques too are made of oak.

Oak has for ever been considered the king of trees. In our area even toponymy witnesses to the former existence of vast woods of oaks, an example being given by a small town’s name, Rovereto (which means oakwoods, ‘rovere’ being one of the terms designating oaktrees) di Modena. In the area, quite frequent varieties of oaktrees are the farnia (British oak), an imposing long living tree, particularly suited to humid belts, that can attain a 30-metre height; the Rovere (bay oak), called robur (=robust) for its strength. It is more common in the hills, like the Roverella (minor oak) which too attains remarkable sizes, in spite of the name

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