'Banda Rossa' Balsamic Vinegar of Modena - 20 Year Aged Balsamic Vinegar by Giuseppe Giusti 250ml

This is the Giusti family's most precious reserve, produced in limited numbers only after extensive ageing in the most precious barrels dating back to the 1600s and 1700s.

The result is an irresistible mellow balsamic with a superb aroma and fruity notes which make it a unique product for those very special occasions.

In 2008, for the third year in a row, Banda Rossa achieved '3 Stars of Taste', the maximum score obtainable at the 'Superior Taste Awards', organised by the 'International Taste and Quality Institute of Brussels', an independent association which works in partnership with a panel of Michelin chefs and the Sommelier Association of Europe.

'Banda Rossa' was awarded with a special prize, the 'Crystal Award', given to firms which achieve the three Stars three times in a row. Giusti is the first balsamic vinegar company to obtain such an achievement, and in the history of the Superior Taste Awards the Crystal Award has been awarded on only one other occasion.

Producer - Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamico Giuseppe Giusti

A note from Vorrei on their producer:

"Our producer is Giuseppe Giusti in Modena. Seventeen generations of his family have been producing high quality balsamic vinegar since 1605 and have won numerous prizes (including 14 Gold Medals) over the centuries. They were the authors of the first documented recipe for the production of Balsamic Vinegar and are the custodians of the most extraordinary existing cask reserve, composed of invaluable century old barrels.

Giuseppe Giusti and his family select good quality Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes and slowly reduce the grape juice in copper kettles until it is thick, dark and sweet. No caramel is added to sweeten and colour it - this is the industrial way to mimic age. Giusti do not reduce by speedy pressurisation either.

Giusti add only good quality wine vinegar to the cooked grape must, and then age it in traditional wooden barrels."