Tradition, Passion and Hard Work

It All Started as a Tradition

According to an old tradition in Modena, the father should start a batteria (row) of barrels of balsamic vinegar for the birth of a daughter, because after around 20/25 years the row starts producing the highest quality vinegar, and, at the same time, the daughter is ready to get married and be welcomed into the house of the husband. Vinegar served then as a dowry. The same did not happen for male children, since once married they usually stayed in the family house and could have used the family barrels. My grandfather Giorgio had five children, three daughters and two sons. He wanted the production of vinegar to be a lasting legacy for the family, so he started rows of vinegar both for his daughters and his sons. He also hoped that every single one of his children would grant him five grandchildren, so he decided to also start 25 rows for the 25 grandchildren he wished to have. One could say it was like an incentive for his children to reproduce, since his children were still teenagers at the time. 

From Tradition to Great Passion

My grandfather Giorgio had to manage over three hundred barrels at the time. While it was easy to remember each barrels' characteristic if you only had a few, it was very difficult, if not actually impossible to do so with so many barrels. Therefore, he tried to find some criteria to help him manage them: using his knowledge as chemical engineer, he decided to use sugar degrees Brix and the total acidity of the vinegar.

This decision turned out to have great results, and close relatives started asking him to go and help them manage their own rows. He started then, together with my father Mario, to help and manage some of his relatives' rows when needed.

In the following years, the number of people that asked my father for help grew, and even some friends started to ask him for help with their rows of vinegar.

From Great Passion to Great Profitable Passion

At the beginning of the Eighties, Modena started to attract tourists, many of them wanting to try local products, among which balsamic vinegar. Due to this growing interest, some families from Modena settled on some rules regarding the production and founded what is now known as "Consorzio produttori Antiche Acetaie" (Consortium of Producers - Ancient Vinegar Cellars). It was at this moment in time that the commercialization fo Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO officially started.

Starting from the 80s, my grandfather's importance managing rows of barrels continued to spread by word of mouth, and in the spring of 1989 he famously told my father: "You are the only one in the family that shares my passion for balsamic vinegar. I am planning to renovate a barn in the country side and start more than one thousand barrels, but I'll do it only if you confirm your passion". His goal was to create a lasting legacy for the family, but he wanted to be sure that once he would not be around anymore, someone in the family would take care of the project. My father confirmed his interest and so they started the renovation of the building. Unfortunately, my grandfather Giorgio passed away unexpectedly in November 1989. Due to his loss, my father put on hold the project, but in 1992 he decided to carry on and finally made his father's dream come true.

From Great Profitable Passion to Second Job

The Nineties represented a period of transition from passion to proper business. My father Mario continued managing barrels, and once again by word of mouth this business became widespread all around Modena. At the same time, he started to supply some of his aged product to other vinegar producers, whose business was growing but who lacked the older vinegar.

From 2004 Onwards as Only Job

In 2004, the one thousand barrels he had started in 1992 were finally ready to produce Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO, aged at least 12 years. Therefore, he gave up his previous job as a lawyer and, at the age of 44, became a full-time farmer.

Giorgio Gambigliani Zoccoli