The "MOTHERS" used to start the vinegar making process in all sets of balsamic vinegar casks were obtained from barrels dating back to 1862. In Modena, a vinegar "MOTHER" of this age is highly prized indeed! In the ageing rooms, there are still some barrels that yield the "Mother Vinegar" used to start off all the other vinegar lines. The term Mother in this context refers to a colony of special bacteria that transforms the alcohol produced through fermentation of the cooked Must in acetic acid.
Trebbiano grapes are used from the hillside in the province of Modena, these are very sweet and acidulous and provide the perfect "must" necessary for producing the vinegar. The grape must is then boiled and once cooked it is transferred to the largest barrel in the ageing room or line known as the "Badessa", where it begins to ferment. Every winter, the process of topping up is carried out as each barrel receives some vinegar drawn off from the next barrel up in the line. After a minimum of 12 years , the "Affinato" vinegar can finally be drawn off from the smallest barrel ready for tasting.
