The production of traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena is a fascinating and ancient practice that gives life to a product of gastronomic excellence.

One of the fundamental terms is ageing. Balsamic vinegar, obtained from the must of 7 specific grape varieties, after the processes of acidification and refinement (which takes a minimum of 60 days),is subject to a further period of ageing during which the vinegar is transferred from larger barrels to progressively smaller barrels. Condensation occurs with each “barrel transfer”: the quantity of product is reduced naturally through evaporation and fermentation.

The batteries of barrels in which traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena matures are placed in attics which guarantee the necessary temperature variation (cold in winter and extremely hot in summer).

To be sold, the ageing process just last from a minimum of 12 to 25 years.

Identical ingredients in different proportions for contrary results. What makes the difference are also the kneading techniques, in the traditional Sicilian or Calabrese kneading troughs, and the cooking method. Using the oven on the static and ventilated setting (245°), the product becomes well aerated, crunchy on the outside and soft inside. While with delicate cooking in a humid chamber (150°), using the steam, the bread becomes extremely soft and fluffy, with a delicate flavor.

Sauce of red bell pepper, Tropea onion and hot peppers, sauce of eggplant and mint, and tomato and basil sauce: all with perfect flavor and consistency.

They are the result of the right concentration which heightens the flavor. Making a sauce denser is an art: one of the methods is reduction.
Cooking begins with a low flame, thanks to the increase in temperature at the boiling point, the water evaporates from the other ingredients, producing the concentration of the sauce. The final result mustn’t be either too liquid or too dense.

The beehive is the structure created by man to house the bees who do all the operations necessary for their survival. The beehive is made up of 4 main elements: the next, where the bee colony lives; the lid that covers the nest; the roof that protects the structure from adverse weather conditions, and the brood box that collects the honey product.

Within the brood box, each hive frame hold approximately 1.5 kg of honey in the combs. Once full, the cells are closed with a light layer of wax to prevent leakage. The removal of this seal, the uncapping, is the first phase of the in the processing in the beekeeper’s laboratory.

It is performed with the use of knives, which can also be heated to facilitate the operation or with semi- or completely automatic uncappers, equipped with blades or chains that cut or break the wax.

The “Ancestral Method” is the most ancient and natural procedure to obtain sparkling wines characterized by a delicate and persistent perlage.

The dégorgement (disgorgement) is a method of opening the bottle of wine to eliminate the yeasts inserted during the maturation phase that have concentrated in the neck of the bottle. This is a crucial moment in the life of a wine, a step that is performed on all wines before corking.

There are two disgorgement methods: “à la volée”, the manual method that requires great expertise and professionalism, and the à la glacée, the mechanical disgorgement method that freezes the neck of the bottle.