Grapes

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Balsamico is made from several typical grapes growing in the provinces of Modena and Reggio Em. According to tradition, the queen grape is Trebbiano, reputed the best for the purpose. The oddity rests in the fact that it is white, while anybody can see that Balsamico is a more or less thick liquid with a colour that goes from dark amber to more or less intense shades of brown. The layman’s belief, therefore, is that Balsamico must derive from red grapes. It is quite true that all Lambruschi and other authochtonous red grapes are indeed utilized for this very special brew, however according to the most ancient documents the ‘Balsamico recipe’ never leaves out significant quantities of Trebbiano. The adopted use has been tentatively attributed to precise causes going back to the intrinsic characteristics of the grape, such as for instance its very late harvesting, which undoubtedly favours a natural sugar concentration; however, it is legitimate to think that old customs may have influenced the choice, and suffice it to recall that the first seventeenth century documents regarding grape typology indicate a net predominancy of white grape over red grape cultivation, and the conclusion that a larger cultivation of the one must correspond to its larger utilization seems to be due. It is also to be considered that Trebbiano has the particular advantage of a later harvesting, which certainly favours a larger concentration of sugars.


Main acceptable types:

White grapes: Spanish Trebbiano, Spergola, others, as may be defined.

Red grapes: All the Lambruschi, Ancellotta, Fortana or ‘golden grape’, Malbo Gentile, others, as may be defined.