Apple Balsamic Vinegar

Apple Balsamic Vinegar. Ten years in oak barrels, dense apple fruit, dosed drop by drop.

Apple Balsamic Vinegar from Riegersburg: dark, dense, and made from reduced must of old Styrian cider apples, aged for at least ten years in oak barrels. No Aceto Balsamico from Modena, no apple cider vinegar to cut it with, no sweetened glaze.

Apple Balsamic Vinegar is the balsamic vinegar with which Alois Gölles created a new category in 1984: reduced, fermented apple must instead of grape must. Anyone who thinks of grapes when they hear balsamic vinegar holds something truly unique in their hand. For fifteen years, Gölles was the only manufacturer of this kind in the world. In a white porcelain spoon, it appears almost black and flows thickly over the rim. A single drop on the tongue is enough to understand why it is not used by the spoonful.

Acacia honey, espresso, and a finish without sharpness

The Apple Balsamic Vinegar combines the fruit of old cider apples with a dense, balanced sweetness, while its 5 percent acidity barely comes through. Gölles himself detects acacia honey and Maschansker apple in the aroma, along with espresso and melted chocolate. Behind this lie a hint of nougat, gingerbread spice, and a subtle trace of paprika.

On the palate, it acts like a concentrate: melting, calm, with a long finish. The sweetness comes solely from the fruit; neither sugar nor coloring is added. That is precisely why it does not taste sticky, but rather rounded, with a depth reminiscent of reduced apples.

Anyone expecting a fresh, acidic vinegar for the daily salad bowl will find it too sweet and too heavy. For this purpose, the light apple vinegar from the oak barrel is intended, which ages for two years and remains fresh.

With mozzarella, steak, vanilla ice cream, and balsamic butter

Apple Balsamic Vinegar works best where a few drops meet a finished dish. Five to six drops are enough over buffalo mozzarella with ripe tomatoes, along with a mild olive oil and coarse salt. A grilled beef steak receives it only after slicing, so that the sweetness does not burn in the pan.

For a balsamic butter, stir one teaspoon into 100 g of soft butter, along with a pinch of salt. It pairs well with baked potatoes or briefly fried veal. Over vanilla ice cream, three drops per scoop are enough, preferably with a few roasted hazelnuts.

Our tip: Combine it in a dressing with nutty oils such as linseed, sesame, or hazelnut oil instead of olive oil. For leaf salads, one part balsamic vinegar to three parts oil is enough. Anyone looking for a milder, pear-fruity alternative will find it in the balsamic vinegar made from old cider pears.

Reduced must and ten years in the barrel cellar

Production begins with old cider apple varieties such as Maschansker, Rosenapfel, and Bohnapfel. Table apples such as Gala or Golden Delicious would be unsuitable because they lack acidity and tannins. These two components are precisely what must carry the long aging process.

The sweet must is first reduced, then fermented, and finally filled into oak barrels. There, the vinegar breathes through the pores of the wood, and some of the water evaporates. Over the years, a 225-liter barrel yields about 153 liters, with around one-third lost as the so-called angel's share.

Around 1,500 oak barrels stand in the cellar in Riegersburg, according to the company, the largest vinegar barrel cellar in Austria. The idea Alois Gölles brought back from a trip to Modena in 1982. There he saw what time and wood do to grape must, and applied the principle to the fruit of his homeland.

Anyone who wants to go even further will find an extra-old edition at the company called XA. It ages for over twenty years using the batteria method, in which the vinegar passes successively through seven increasingly smaller wooden barrels. The bottle offered here, by contrast, is the everyday companion for the kitchen.

Good to know: Vinegar is protected by its own acidity and is therefore exempt from a best-before date. Store the bottle in a dark place and not too warm, and the aroma will remain stable.

A Styrian original for the cheese platter

What fundamentally distinguishes Apple Balsamic Vinegar is its raw material: It does not descend from Italian balsamic vinegar, but is an independent invention from Styria. A matured mountain cheese, a piece of blue cheese, or fresh figs receive a dark, fruity note with it. Anyone who gives it as a gift is also giving a piece of culinary history.

The 250-ml bottle lasts a long time when dosed drop by drop. For a dinner with guests, it is worth placing it directly on the table with a small spoon. It is not suitable for pickling or for large quantities of marinade, as it is too concentrated.

A balsamic vinegar that shows how much patience can be contained in a single drop of apple.