Vinegar Factory

We toured an authentic Balsemic Vinegar factory, which is really a house since vinegar has to age in the attic and feel the extreme heat and cold of the climate throughout the year. I learned that true balsemic vinegar can only come from the Reggio Emilia/Modena area of Italy. It is quite a process of aging that takes years (i can't remember if the minimum is 9 or 12 years). Each year they move the vinegar to a new and smaller barrel made of a different wood so that each wood gives a piece to the flavor. There was a tasting, which I didn't think I would enjoy, but the older the vinegar is, the sweeter it is. The oldest vinegar, which was at least 25 years old was super sweet and is used for dessert and ice cream! It also costs about $160 for a small bottle. It all tasted darn amazing! (I bought a younger bottle that only cost about $35)!