Five tips for finding a True Bottle of Balsamic Vinegar

Now a days the market for balsamic is saturated with so many brands, it’s really a hard job to find a good choice. The benefits of the balsamic vinegar are many and this has made it the a perfect conpanion among those who want to use extra virgin olive oil for cooking. You have to be very careful while buying Gourmet balsamic vinegar as there are many imitations waiting to deceive you.

You have to follow certain tips to find the real Balsamic vinegar namely:

Check the list of ingredients : if the balsamic vinegar you are about to buy says that it has grape and red wine as the primary ingredients you have to discard it as the original balsamic vinegar does not have these in its ingredients list. So, never accept gourmet blends with wine and grapes as the real balsamic vinegar.

Amount of acid in it: yet another way to find if the balsamic vinegar you are about to buy is real is by ascertaining how much acid is present in it. If it has more than 4.5% then it is not the real one, and it is common to see some of these spurious balsamic vinegar having more than 6% of acid content.

Sourced from Italy: real gourmet balsamic vinegar comes from Italy. The main ingredient used in its manufacture is the Tebbiano grapes that are cultivated only in Italy. Hence, if the country of origin of your balsamic is not Italy then it is doubtful that what you are about to buy is the real flavoured balsamic vinegar.

Comes with a very thick consistency: real balsamic vinegar is very thick in consistency with a very strong flavour and taste. This is very unique to the gourmet balsamic vinegar and a little goes a very long way with the real stuff.

Comes to you after 12 years: real balsamic vinegar goes through a long ageing process to give it the special flavor and taste. It comes to the market 12 years after it has been manufactured. If this is not mentioned on the bottle you are about to buy then you have to be careful as this may not be real balsamic vinegar and just a cheap knock-off.

So be careful out there and when you find a good bottle of real gourmet balsamic vinegar from Modena, Italy sit back and enjoy!

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Author Alex Ferrari is the co-owner of Olimila Gourmet Emporium (aka Ferrari Olive Oil) and has his Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Aged Balsamic Vinegar Tasting Room in the heart of Studio City in Los Angeles, CA. For more information go to: Olimila Gourmet Emporium

Alex also hosts a weekly show on YuTube called “The EVOO Show” where he discusses all things olive oil, balsamic and foodie! Watch the show by clicking here: THE EVOO Show