To make balsamic vinegar, purchase five decreasing sized wine barrels made of mulberry, chestnut, oak, or cherry wood, which will influence the flavor. Clean the barrels then fill them 80% full with crushed Trebbiano and/or Lambrusco grape juice boiled for 24 hours until reduced by half. Ferment the grape must in barrels covered with cloth for 6 months, then annually transfer the liquid between barrels for 12 years total for it to become authentic balsamic vinegar.

1. How to make balsamic
vinegar

2. •Purchase 5 wine barrels of decreasing size. These types of
barrels are found in stores that cater to wine making.The wood of the
barrel can be mulberry, chestnut, oak or cherry. Choose one of these
wood types based on the desired flavor of the vinegar. You can use
multiple woods.
•Choose a mulberry barrel for a spicy aroma and bolder taste.
•Choose an oak barrel to keep the vinegar thicker, as oak permits
less evaporation.
•Choose a chestnut barrel for a rich brownish red color.
•Choose a cherry wood barrel for a sweeter final taste.

3. Clean the barrel. Use a mixture of
vinegar, salt and water to eliminate
bacteria and impurities.

4. •Buy ripe Trebbiano and/or Lambrusco grapes. These are
white grapes grown mostly in the Modena region of Italy, but
they can be grown elsewhere if weather permits. These
grapes are harvested at the end of fall. Buy enough grapes
so 80 percent of each barrel can be filled with liquid.

5. Crush the grapes. P them through
a sieve

6. Allow the juice to settle for 15 minutes.

7. Transfer the juice into a large kettle.

8. Boil the juice. Let it simmer at 190 degrees Fahrenheit
(87.7 degrees Celsius) for 24 hours. Do not exceed 195
degrees or your mosto will not ferment in the next
stage.The process of long simmering the juice reduces it
to half of its original volume and creates a mosto, which in
English is "must." This is very sweet syrup.

9. Cool the mosto. Let it sit for several hours.

10. Put mosto in a non-reactive container
(glass, stainless, or open barrel to
ferment) Once it's finished fermenting,
Move the mosto into each barrel.

11. Cover each barrel's opening with a mesh
cloth. This allows evaporation and reduction of
the liquid.

12. Wait 6 months.

13. Fill the smallest barrel with liquid from the
next largest. Repeat the filling process until
you reach the largest barrel.

14. Pour new mosto into the largest barrel.If
you're not making any more balsamic
vinegar, you can skip this step.

15. Continue to transfer liquid from the
larger barrels to the next smallest one
once every year for 5 years.

16. •Take 1 liter (0.3 US gal) of the vinegar
from the smallest barrel.This is not yet
authentic balsamic vinegar, but it is a
form of vinegar.

17. Continue to transfer liquid from
the larger barrels to the next
smallest once every year for
another 7 years.