Villa Manodori Balsamic (artigianale) Vinegar
Deborah says: “I fell in love with this vinegar years ago and have been completely spoiled by it. In my opinion, nothing else comes close in depth of flavor and body. Its luscious viscosity makes it a sauce unto itself. Use it as a glaze for steak, pork, or poultry, or drizzle it over arugula or radicchio. I even add it to roasted vegetables such as haricots verts and Brussels sprouts when they come out of the oven. It is expensive, but—believe it or not—it costs less than other balsamicos of comparable quality. It’s so rich that a little goes a long way.”
Villa Manodori balsamicos are produced by Massimo Bottura, chef/owner of the Michelin-starre Osteria Francescana restaurant in Modena. Massimo produces an ”artigianale” as well as Traditional Balsamic of Modena. Villa Manodori ”artigianale” is crafted from traditional and aged wine vinegar. It is then aged 10 to 20+ years in small barrels of oak, chestnut and juniper. This traditional style method yields a balsamic of dark rich color, intense aroma and syrupy consistency. This is a quality between Cavalli Condiments and Traditional, and priced accordingly Winner outstanding Oil/Vinegar Dressing- 2000 Fancy Food Show.
Reviews
Steve King
I agree. I too fell in love with this balsamic years ago when visiting an Italian grocery in Boston’s North End. I have also made trips to Italy and even made a trip to an acetaia in Modena. I have a balsamic collection in my kitchen cabinet, and I have 6 bottles of Villa Manodori. In my opinion, this is as close as you can get to the DOP certified bottles, for about 1/4 of the cost.
Deborah
I’m so happy to hear that! People think I’m crazy when I suggest buying a balsamic that costs as much as V.M. does, but they have no idea how special it is.
Thanks for your comment.
Deborah
Deborah
BTW, Steve, if you know about the DOP, you might get a kick out of this. Whole Foods is selling SM tomatoes that are completely bogus- and they were totally uninterested in hearing about it. Here’s the little piece I did on the issue:
http://www.adoctorskitchen.com/archives/san-marzano-tomatoes-2
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