Balsamic vinegar is like wine (in so many ways), one of which is that the production style significantly impacts the quality. When you buy a bottle of Two Buck Chuck, you generally know what you're in for, and yet we regularly reach for the cheap balsamic option at the grocery story. What could the quality difference really be, right? It turns out: huge. This particular one from Ponte Vecchio is intense, thick, and jam-packed with complex flavors of cherry, vanilla, and berries. Cooked Trebbiano and Lambrusco grape must is fermented, then transferred to oak barrels for four years. The result is pretty spectacular.
