The original "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale" is made from a reduction of cooked grape must. It is then put to age in sets of wooden barrels that become progressively smaller as the product becomes thicker and naturally evaporates overtime. Nothing is ever added to the product. After a minimum of 12 years, the vinegar can be considered an "Affinato" and ready for consumption. Only then, a panel of 5 expert master tasters judge and score the vinegar. If the vinegar reaches a certain standard it can be bottled, sealed, and individually numbered by the Consortium of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar Producers. Only one bottle design can be used, in the case of the Consortium of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is the unmistakable 100 milliliter bottle designed by Giorgio Giugiaro. When a vinegar is aged a minimum of 25 years in wooden barrels the vinegar is considered an 'Extra Vecchio" or Extra Old. This is considered to be the optimal age for a fully developed great tasting Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. There are of course older types of balsamic vinegar aged for many more years. However, older doesn't necessarily mean better quality. Just like a great bottle of wine or whisky, the overall quality of the final product depends on many factors including the quality of the grape and the wooden barrels, the climate conditions present in the aging room, the ability of the producers, etc. So, the aging is only a part of the process, and does not guarantee a superior product. This is why the Consortium of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar Producers in Modena only uses one bottle and 2 different color seals to distinguish the Affinato (Ivory/Cream seal) from the Extra Vecchio (Gold seal) and will never print the age of the product on its bottles. In fact, do not trust any bottles that have any aging claims or numbers on the labels as these are definitely impostors trying to confuse the consumer.

Unlike the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar where the grapes have to come from the strict geographical area, and nothing can be added to the grape must. The IGP products grape can come from everywhere in the world, and the aging process is a minimum of 2 months and not necessarily in wooden barrels. They are usually made of wine vinegar with sometimes the addition of coloring, caramel, and thickeners. So the quality among these vinegar is not always the best. As a rule of thumb: If the ingredients list more than cooked grape must and wine vinegar, stay away from it. If the ingredients state a generic: Balsamic Vinegar, please put that back as the company doesn't want to let you know what's inside. This is most likely not a natural product and it's probably full of additives and who knows what else that you DO NOT want to put in your body. Although, there are some good genuine IGP balsamic vinegar of Modena out there, because the manufacturing process is highly industrialized for these products, we at The Balsamic Guy, do not deal with any of these commercial balsamic types.

Our Condiment from The Balsamic Guy comes from a small acetaia in Modena and it is aged in wooden barrels like the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar system for a minimum of 6 years. So the main difference is that this is a younger vinegar, and it also contains a small percentage of wine vinegar to give it more acidity. There are really no official standards about labeling systems for these condiments. However, if you want to distinguish a good condiment from a poorly commercial one, the same rule applies as the IGP: If there are more ingredients than: Cooked Grape Must, and Wine Vinegar, you can pass on that one. You will find that our Balsamic Condiment from The Balsamic Guy is an all natural product, and an excellent alternative for superior taste without the price tag of the more expensive Traditional Balsamic Vinegar.