What Is Rosé Balsamic Vinegar?
Oil and vinegar—they may not mix easily, but they're definitely the foundation of any functional pantry. You probably already know the basic kinds of vinegar. There's classic distilled white, white wine, champagne, red wine, sherry, balsamic, rice, and rice wine, and, of course, apple cider. Each one imparts a different flavor to whatever you're using it in, especially as the basis of a vinagrette. Since there's rosé everything else, it only makes sense that you can also get rosé balsamic vinegar. But what is it, exactly, and how do you use it?
Like other wine vinegars, rosé balsamic vinegar has its basis in, well, wine. As you probably recall, rosé wine gets its distinctive pink color from the grape skins themselves—but less so than red wine. Balsamic vinegar has a couple of different formulations. The traditional, expensive stuff from Italy, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, is made by grape must that's aged in wooden barrels for several years. Just as sparkling wine can only be called Champagne if it's from the Champagne region of France, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena must be from Modena, Italy. (There's another classification from Reggio Emilia, which must be from, you guessed it, the Italian region of Reggio Emilia.) But that stuff is very precious, and the kind of balsamic that you find most often in the supermarket is Aceto Balsamico di Modena, an imitation of the traditional product made from Modena that can be made anywhere in the world.
Rosé balsamic combines those two things—white grape must and red wine vinegar, often aged—to produce a vinegar that's lighter in color and brighter-tasting than your average balsamic vinegar. There are often notes of fruit like watermelon and strawberry, and it plays well with cheese and fruit as well as meats.
Lisa Lori, of The Perfect Provenance, teamed up with Chef Silvia Baldini and Olive Oil Educator Alina Lawrence (a.k.a. The Secret Ingredient Girls) to produce an Aged Rosé Balsamic from Pinot Nero Grapes. "I make a lot of Italian dishes for my family so olive oil and balsamic are always on our table," Lori told Extra Crispy. "We make a lot of salads, but balsamic is also great for desserts. It is lighter, fresher with a touch of sweetness. It's really delicious with citrus, too."
As part of her collaboration with The Secret Ingredient Girls, Lori also produced an Extra Virgin Olive Oil and an Herbs de Provence Olive Oil—the combination of those with the rosé balsamic allows for a range of flavor options for cooking fish, chicken, and basically any kind of marinade."
Rosé is everywhere, anyway, and now you can put it in your salad.
