For those who are not from Modena, the term Rincalzo has a different meaning: it retains its original sense in the Italian language, with no connection to Balsamic Vinegar.
For us in Modena, however, Rincalzo means something else entirely. It refers to the annual process of topping up and transferring and describes the ageing method of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, a practice that has taken place in attics for centuries.
The ageing of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO does not occur in a single barrel, as is the case with wine or with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI.
Instead, ageing takes place in a series of casks of graduated sizes: from the smallest cask, which may hold as little as 3–5 litres, to the largest one, which on average holds 100–130 litres. Between these extremes are several intermediate barrels, increasing in size and made from different types of wood.
This series of barrels, whose number can range from a minimum of 3 to as many as 10-12, is known in Modena as a Balsamic Vinegar battery: a set of barrels arranged like a measuring battery, progressing from the smallest to the largest.
The battery is the ageing system used for Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. For the vinegar, to age properly, the battery must be placed in an attic, without heating or air conditioning, so that it is exposed to the natural progression of the seasons. The temperature must follow the typical Emilian climate: very hot in summer and very cold in winter.
This is because with the high summer temperatures the product evaporates, acquiring density; in winter the suspended particles are decanted on the bottom of the barrel, therefore the product is “filtered”, as well as concentrating its flavours. Spring and autumn, with their mild temperatures, are necessary for the fermentation of the cooked must.
Every summer the liquid inside the barrels decreases in quantity, becomes concentrated, and over the years sweetness and acidity blend together, finding what after at least 25 years will be a perfect balance!
But this means, concretely, that every summer the producer loses part of his product from the barrels due to evaporation. Here come the famous reinforcements!
Every year, once a year, in the middle of winter, when it is very cold in Modena and we usually say that vinegar is “sleeping”, the master of vinegar approaches the smallest barrel of each battery, the number one, with in hand a typical tiravino (called the “sage”). He will check how much vinegar has evaporated from the first barrel and will fill up that loss with the product present in the second barrel, the slightly larger one next to it.
Subsequently, cask number two must also be topped up, because no cask must ever be completely emptied over the years. The missing quantity will be topped up in the second barrel, with the product present in the third barrel. And so on, the fourth will support the third, the fifth will support the fourth. The largest barrel in the row, also known as the Madre, will be topped up with the acetified cooked must, i.e. the young vinegar, which came ready that same year inside the Abbess.
It’s a never-ending process, lasting years, sometimes centuries. You never stop topping up, and the more time passes, the better the bittersweet balance achieved by the vinegar will be, as well as increasing the density of the product.
After 12 reinforcements, the product can be defined as Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO – Refined. After at least 25 reinforcements, we obtain a Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO – Extra-old.
This makes you understand very well how much dedication and passion is behind the production of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. You cannot leave the barrels to themselves, you need to take care of them, and take care of the product, every year, for life!
Here in Acetaia Sereni we are about to start filling our 1500 barrels.
Discover our precious barrels
Come and visit usif you want to see out precious Balsamic Vinegar batteries up close. Book your Experience!
