Background
The origins of this noble vinegar date back to 1046. The vinegar producers' associations were established between the 12th and 14th century in Modena and Reggio Emilia and the members were asked to keep the recipe and manufacturing procedure secret. During the Renaissance the balsamic vinegar was often present at the table of the Dukes of Este and was a key element of the dowry of the young brides belonging to noble and wealthy families. The adjective “balsamic” was first used in 1730 (when the Duke of Modena gave a bottle of vinegar, which he defined “balsamic”, as a gift to Lodovico Antonio Muratori, a famous historian and man of letters from Vignola) and is often associated with the properties of a balm. Muratori (Vignola 1672 – Modena 1750) described some remedies, based on the use of balsamic vinegar, against the plague. It is not a mere coincidence that vinegar has always been appreciated for its therapeutic properties in the household pharmacopeia.
In 1863 Fausto Sensini wrote that "a special type of vinegar had long been produced” in the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia and that “thanks to its aroma, it was called Balsamic Vinegar”. The product is now appreciated by consumers anywhere in the world. Its presence worldwide is growing and its is considered a symbol of the Italian cuisine, style and made in Italy products.

Production
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is obtained by the skilful combination of the following raw materials: Wine vinegar, concentrated must and cooked concentrates obtained from typical grapes of Emilia Romagna: Trebbiano, Lambrusco and Sangiovese. The colour is made homogenous by adding a small quantity of caramel.
All the raw materials must comply with the strict specifications developed by Ponti Quality Control. The Central Laboratory performs all the chemical-physical (density, sugar and metal quantity) and organoleptic checks (taste, odour, colour, absence of any defects) to obtain a high-quality Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Wine Vinegar: is obtained by the fermentation of the wine alcohol, which turns into acetic acid. All the Ponti Balsamic Vinegars of Modenas are obtained from wine vinegar processed in the Group factories, the quality of which is monitored by the Process Lab and Central Lab technicians.

Concentraded grapes must: The must obtained from squeezed grapes is placed in special densifiers, which allow the aqueous part of the must to evaporate, thanks to heat. The operation is performed in a closed container, at low temperature, to preserve the fresh and fruity flavour of grapes must. The main characteristics of this must type are: dark amber colour, good sugar taste and fruity grapes flavour.

CONCENTRATED AND COOKED GRAPES MUST: The must obtained from grapes pressing is concentrated and cooked at high temperature, so that the grapes sugar turns into caramel and gives the typical taste. This must is dark brown, tastes like caramel, boiled fruit and roasted coffee. Thanks to the selection of the best must and by changing the two must types, different basic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena types can be obtained. Once the required base quality has been achieved, the following phases are: maturation, refinement and ageing. Depending on how long the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is kept in the barrels or kegs, the product undergoes significant organoleptic changes and its taste and flavour acquire special features.

Production area
Ponti has established a Balsamic Vinegar of Modena production centre equipped to obtain the best product. In 1991 it took over Modenaceti S.r.l., specialised in the production of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. The factory is based in Vignola (from Latin Vineola, which comes from vinea= vineyards) in the province of Modena, a city with a century-old experience in this sector.
Special attention has been paid to the production equipment and the implementation of strict quality control systems. The durmast barrels in the cellar may contain up to more than 3 million litres; 1,452 225-litre kegs (barrique) for a total of 326,700 litres are also present in the cellar. Strict specifications have been drawn up for the procurement of the raw materials; the process and product controls are carried out by Modenaceti internal lab and by the Ponti central quality lab; the traceability system covers all the products.
Thanks to this traceability system and starting from the production lot number written on the bottle, all the process phases, the ageing barrel or keg, the raw materials and the suppliers can be identified. Modenaceti is a member of the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Production Consortium, which promotes the award of the EC Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) certification to this typical Italian product. The rules of the Consortium comply with the PGI prerequisites and the production and ageing phases are controlled and certified by CERMET, a certifying institute recognised by the Italian Government.