I went to grab some balsamic vinegar to slosh into a tomato sauce for a hint of sweetness, only to find the cupboard bare except for the Spiced Aromatic one from Taste Gourmet Spice, which is a bit special for a tomato sauce! I do love a good balsamic so here’s a few that I think would make great gifts, for someone else’s cupboard or your own.
* Try shopping at Fino, for either their dark balsamic made from the must of Pedro Ximenez grapes, or even a white balsamic. I think the latter would have a bit of a wow factor as a gift, as it is relatively unheard of, and the two together would certainly be interesting, although conjuring up 80s black and white dinner parties for me. In a good way.
* If you’re buying for a real connoisseur then you’ll need an aged version. This 10 year aged version from Vecchia looks impressive, and apparently has fabulous taste to match up with its looks. I imagine this also isn’t for sloshing into my tomato sauce either!
* Give people some bragging rights by buying them a bottle of Sapa instead. From what I can tell Sapa, sometimes known as Saba, appears to be the predecessor to balsamic, which only appeared in the 11th century. Thanks to Nudo and one of their producers you can now experience this, and make your own mind up as to whether there is a good reason why balsamic took over.
* If you perhaps just wanted a dressing to have to hand, then it’s worth looking at the range from Little Doone. They cover everything from an original version through to added flavours like orange, chilli or smoked garlic. Possibly a good standby for summertime, imagine would work well with salads but also to add to barbecued meats or fish.
Of course you can buy very cheap “balsamic” and you can invest a small fortune, just make sure you have some of the right stuff for whatever uses you want to make of it. Bear in mind that the Italians would be a bit horrified at the liberal application that it sometimes gets here!
