Who is a "player"? A contemporary and global protagonist, he is a cultured, refined, curious, ageless, dynamic, agile in thinking, passionate person. It is not enouth for him to keep up with the times, but he wants to know the protagonists, the mechanism, the processes and the raw materials to be an aware, attentive and demanding user.
Surprising, never banal, full of beauty and history. And capable of saving your license. Welcome to the new chapter of tastings for connoisseurs.
Let’s face it, it is not the fault of the new highway code and all the bar chatter about fines and breathalyzers. It’s just that we, wine, spirits, signature cocktail and amari lovers, have tried every tasting. Food pairing, whiskies from different origins with various distillations, but also oil tastings, assiette de fromages, hand-rolled cigars and even pipe tobacco. And now we’re looking for something to surprise our taste buds, vaguely accustomed to Christmas banquets and auspicious toasts.
Good news: there’s still a tasting that can make us jump out of our seats. That of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Even in this case, your olfactory memory will be called upon to recognize vintages (intended in this case as the number of years or decades spent waiting for you), refinement methods, citrus notes and tertiary aromas. And even in this case it will be difficult to go back to the classic supermarket vinegar: it’s easier to make sure you create a corner for vinegars in the kitchen and start asking the maître for specific information.
Are you sure you want to take this path? I say yes. Perhaps starting with a getaway to Acetaia Sereni, in Marano sul Panaro, in the area known as Alta Modena. Each guided tour includes knowledge of the different production steps, from the selection in the vineyard to the cooking of the musts, up to the refinement in the historic barrel cellars, and ends with a tasting of five different types of vinegar. But the journey can be extended at the table, in the Restaurant with a view of the surrounding hills. Here, on a hilly terrain consisting mainly of clay and limestone, the vineyards of Lambrusco Grasparossa and Trebbiano proliferate, at the base of the prized Balsamic.
As in every great story, at the beginning of this one — which began at the end of the 19th century — there was a thwarted love, that between Santina, daughter of the founder of Acetaia Sereni, and a young man hired by the family to help with the hard labor. Despite their father's resistance, the two got married and continued to run the business together. Since then, Acetaia Sereni has always been a family affair. And a story of excellence: the latest award winner is Serenissimo in Amphora, a sweet and sour dressing made only with grape must and aged in Terracotta, without any additions or influence from wood. Cooked at a low temperature, it maintains an intense red color and an acidity reminiscent of a sweet wine, one of those capable of stimulating digestion at the end of a meal. Without alcohol, however, so as to return home peacefully ("serenely" precisely).
