Balsamic Vinegars are almost as divers and varied as wines. There are REALLY good balsamic vinegars that are aged for years and can cost upwards of $100. These vinegars are hardly something you would use to make a vinaigrette for your salad on an average Tuesday night. They are more for use as an accent drizzle on meats, vegetables or fish. I have never been one to even contemplate spending more than $10 on a bottle of vinegar, and even that seemed steep to me. But about a year ago I received a bottle of Olivier 25-year old barrel aged vinegar from Williams Sonoma as a gift. All I can say is WOW. This makes other balsamics taste watery and sour. This vinegar is sweet, rich and a bit syrupy. I almost feel bad mixing it with olive oil because it tastes so good on it's own. A little bit goes a long way, thankfully, because it costs a whopping $24 a bottle. I know it's a bit extravagant, but what can I say, I am a little bit of a balsamic vinegar snob now. Try this and you'll see what I mean. Or be really nice and buy it for a fellow foodie as a gift, I know I loved receiving it!
reduced and poured over strawberries= heaven
Posted by: amanda | March 05, 2009 at 11:41 PM