Balsamic Vinegar Guide: Types, How It's Made and How to Use It

Walk down any supermarket aisle and you'll find balsamic vinegar from £1 to well over £50 a bottle in some of the fancier ones, labelled Condimento, IGP, DOP, aged, reserve or glaze. It's no wonder people find it confusing. In this guide we explain what each type of balsamic actually is, how it's made, how to tell a good one from a poor one, and how to get the most from it in your kitchen.

We've worked with the Verrini family, who make our balsamics on their estate in Carpi near Modena, for many years, so everything here comes from what we've learned from them and from our customers.

Where does balsamic vinegar come from?

Balsamic vinegar comes from the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, around the cities of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Families there have been cooking down grape must and maturing it in wooden barrels for centuries, often in the lofts of their homes, where hot summers and cold winters help the vinegar develop. A set of barrels was traditionally started when a child was born and handed down through the generations.

How is balsamic vinegar made?

Every good balsamic starts with grapes, usually local varieties such as Lambrusco and Trebbiano. The grapes are crushed to make must (fresh juice with skins and seeds), which is slowly cooked down in open pans until it's concentrated and sweet. The cooked must is then left to ferment and acidify, and matured in a series of wooden barrels of decreasing size.

Each year, as water evaporates through the wood, the vinegar becomes thicker and more concentrated, and it is topped up from the next barrel in line. Different woods, such as oak, cherry, chestnut, mulberry and juniper, each add their own character. The longer the vinegar matures, the thicker, sweeter and more complex it becomes, and the smaller the amount that's left.

The types of balsamic vinegar explained

This is where most of the confusion comes from. There are three main kinds of balsamic you'll see in the UK.

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale DOP

The finest and rarest balsamic. DOP (Denominazione d'Origine Protetta) Tradizionale is made only from cooked grape must, with nothing added, and matured for at least 12 years in a succession of wooden barrels. A 25-year-old is labelled Extra Vecchio. Each batch is tasted and approved by a panel before being bottled by the consortium in its distinctive small bottle and individually numbered. Expect to pay £50 or more for 100ml, and to use it by the drop.

Our Tradizionale 12 Year DOP and Extra Vecchio 25 Year DOP are both certified, bottled and numbered by the Modena consortium.

Balsamic vinegar with IGP status

IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) is the protected label you'll see on most balsamic in supermarkets. It must be made and bottled in the Modena area, from grape must blended with wine vinegar, and can be matured for as little as 60 days. Quality varies hugely: the best are rich and well balanced, but many cheaper IGP balsamics have a high proportion of wine vinegar and added caramel for colour, which is why they taste sharp and thin.

Condimento balsamic

Condimento covers balsamics that fall outside both certifications. That can mean very ordinary vinegars, but it also includes some excellent ones, made by traditional methods and matured in wood, which simply aren't bottled in the region or don't follow the exact DOP or IGP rules.

Our Classic, Reserve and White balsamics are Condimento. They're made by the Verrini family from their own grapes and matured in wooden barrels and then bottled by us here in the UK, which is why they don't carry the IGP label.

Our Vintage balsamic

Our Vintage balsamic sits in a class of its own. It isn't a Condimento or a DOP: it has been aged by the Verrini family for between 25 and 30 years in their ancient barrels of mulberry, cherry, juniper and oak, so it's rich, syrupy and best used by the drop.

Our balsamic vinegars compared

What is white balsamic vinegar?

White balsamic is made only from white Trebbiano grapes and gently matured so that it stays pale. It has the mellow, slightly sweet flavour of a good balsamic but won't turn a dish brown, so it's perfect for pasta and potato salads, grilled fish, scallops, fruit salads and even desserts. Our White Balsamic is also the base for our White Peach and Green Apple infused balsamics.

How to choose a good balsamic vinegar

• Read the ingredients. Grape must should come first. If wine vinegar is first, or you see caramel, colourings or thickeners, it's likely to be sharp and thin.
• Know who makes it. A named family producer is usually a better sign than a generic brand.
• Check the texture. A good balsamic coats the inside of the bottle when you tilt it. Thickness should come naturally from cooking and maturing, not from added starch or gums.
• Taste it. It should be balanced: sweet and fruity with a gentle tang, never harsh or eye-wateringly sour.
• Match it to the job. You don't need a 25-year-old DOP for a salad dressing, and a cheap thin vinegar won't do justice to a drizzle over strawberries.

How to use balsamic vinegar

The classic olive oil and balsamic dressing

Mix three parts extra virgin olive oil to one part balsamic, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and shake in a jar. Our Sicilian extra virgin olive oil with our Classic balsamic is a lovely everyday combination. For a bread dip, pour the oil into a shallow dish and add a few drops of balsamic in the centre.

Everyday ideas

• Toss through roasted vegetables in the last few minutes of cooking.
• Add a splash to gravies, stews and tomato sauces to deepen the flavour.
• Drizzle a thick balsamic over steak, grilled lamb or fish just before serving.
• Serve with Parmesan, mature Cheddar or goat's cheese on a cheese board.
• Spoon over strawberries, figs, vanilla ice cream or Greek yoghurt.

Using a Tradizionale DOP

A DOP balsamic is best used raw and sparingly, a few drops at a time, so its flavour isn't lost. Try it on shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano, over risotto or carpaccio just before serving, on fresh strawberries, or sipped from a small spoon after dinner as they do in Modena.

Pairing balsamic with infused olive oils

Pairing an infused oil with a balsamic gives you a ready-made dressing with big flavour. A few of our favourites:

• Garlic oil with Vine Tomato balsamic for bruschetta and bread dips.
• Lemon oil with White Peach balsamic for salads, chicken and fish.
• Chilli oil with Caramelised Onion balsamic for burgers, steak and roasted veg.
• Garden Mint oil with Pomegranate & Fig balsamic for lamb and feta salads.

See our combo dressings for more pairings, or browse our recipes.

Balsamic vinegar vs balsamic glaze

Balsamic glaze is balsamic that has been reduced to a syrup. Many shop-bought glazes are thickened with starch or sweetened with sugar. A naturally thick balsamic such as our Reserve or Vintage gives you the same glossy drizzle with nothing added. If you'd like to make your own glaze, simmer a pourable balsamic gently in a small pan until it has reduced by about half, then let it cool. It will thicken further as it cools.

How to store balsamic vinegar

Keep balsamic in a cool, dark cupboard with the cap tightly closed. It doesn't need to go in the fridge. Thanks to its natural acidity it keeps for a long time, though it can slowly thicken as it ages. If you notice a little sediment in the bottle, that's natural and harmless.

Balsamic vinegar FAQs

Shop our balsamic vinegars

From everyday Classic to 25-year-old Extra Vecchio DOP, plus our White balsamic and a range of sweet and savoury infusions, you'll find our full range on our balsamic vinegar page. We deliver across the UK, with free delivery on orders over £60.