Italy’s vinegar producers are engaged in a battle with their competitors in Slovenia over balsamic vinegar.
The consortium for the protection of Aceto Balsamico di Modena - the traditional balsamic vinegar made in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy - feels attacked by its small eastern neighbour.
The Ljubljana government has applied to the EU for a “national technical standard” to produce balsamic vinegar, which the association rejects out of hand.
If the Slovenians are successful there would be a stipulation that”all wine vinegars mixed with grape must” could call themselves “aceto balsamico,” or balsamic vinegar, explains Federico Desimoni,director of the association.
Aceto Balsamico di Modena is produced from grape must that is fermented and/or cooked and/or concentrated, the consortium explains.Must is crushed fruit juice that still contains stems, skins and seeds.
The grapes traditionally come only from Lambrusco, Sangiovese,Trebbiano, Albana, Ancellotta, Fortana and Montuni vines. A minimum10-per-cent wine vinegar and an amount of at least 10-year-old aged vinegar is added to the grape must.
In Italy, Agriculture Minister Stefano Patuanelli intervened. For Rome, the “protection of the cultural heritage” of its own producers was a high priority, he was quoted by the Ansa news agency as saying.
The government will do everything to defend balsamic vinegar against attacks, he said.
An important deadline in the dispute with the EU expires on March 3.The consortium of producers has already fought over the use of the term balsamic vinegar before several German courts and the European Court of Justice (ECJ). — dpa
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