La Vecchia Dispensa

The neck tag on every bottle reads ‘100% handmade’ but it is hard to understand this until you see the process with your own eyes. In an unassuming building near Modena, La Vecchia Dispensa’s new production site is humming with activity. Here the balsamic vinegar is carefully selected from the wooden barrels by Simone Tintori and his father Marino before every bottle is filled by hand and carefully labelled. For many, the handmade in every aspect is superfluous, but for them it is of upmost importance.

In the little town of Castelvetro, on top of a hill overlooking the River Po, the Pelloni family have been producing balsamic vinegar for generations. In 1905, they began to sell to the public – obtaining the 13th production licence. For many years, production took place in the 16th century prison tower overlooking the picturesque checkerboard square.

After a childhood spent watching his parents, Roberta Pelloni and Roberto Tintori, making balsamic vinegar, Simone has slowly taken charge of his family’s business. Just as an artist can demonstrate their signature style with a few simple brushstrokes, so can a vinegar producer make their mark on the vinegar that they produce. For Simone, this signature mark is the double acidity that you experience when you taste each vinegar. This ensures that you get a balanced and well-developed flavour that lasts long in the mouth after tasting.

Their range includes DOP, IGP and organic balsamic vinegars, all made exclusively from 100% Italian Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes sourced from local growers. While firmly rooted in tradition, Simone is not afraid of adapting and embracing the future, whether it be slowly moving production away from the prison tower to a new building with space to prosper, or developing new products, like Cherry Balsamic Jelly which pairs so wonderfully with blue cheese and duck.