Pear Balsamic Vinegar

Pear Balsamic Vinegar. Four years in oak barrels, full of fruit, with barely noticeable acidity.

Pear Balsamic Vinegar from Styria: mild, fruity, and made from heirloom pear varieties, aged for at least four years in oak barrels. No grape balsamic, no tart pear vinegar, no syrup with added sugar.

Pear Balsamic Vinegar is a fruit-forward balsamic vinegar from Riegersburg in Styria, pressed from heirloom pears and aged in wood for at least four years. Compared to the Apple Balsamic Vinegar from the same cellar, it is the younger and fruitier of the two. Where the apple smells of espresso and chocolate, here notes of pear compote and white peach emerge. It pours from the bottle in an amber color, noticeably lighter than its dark counterpart.

Nashi pear, compote, and a hint of acidity

The Pear Balsamic Vinegar is above all fruit: soft, round, and with 5 percent acidity that stays in the background. The house lists nashi pear and pear compote as aromatic notes, along with apricot juice and white peach. A touch of Ringlotte and cherry completes the picture, making the fruit seem far more complex than the name suggests.

On the palate, it is mild without becoming flat. The tannins of the heirloom pear give it a firm core, while the wood has smoothed its edges over the years. The sweetness comes exclusively from the fruit.

Those expecting the dark intensity and roasted notes of a long-aged balsamic vinegar will find it too light. That role is filled by the balsamic vinegar made from apple must aged for ten years. The Pear Balsamic Vinegar is not a substitute for it, but rather its lighter, fruit-forward complement.

With sheep’s milk fresh cheese, roasted onions, and bitter greens

Pear Balsamic Vinegar comes into its own with dishes that need fruit and mildness without being dominated by acidity. A few drops are enough over sheep’s milk fresh cheese with walnuts and a little thyme. Sauté onions slowly in butter until golden brown, then deglaze with a teaspoon of vinegar; this makes a fruity accompaniment to liver or roast beef.

Radicchio, chicory, and endive benefit from its sweetness, which softens their bitterness. To do this, mix one part vinegar with two to three parts walnut or peanut oil. In a homemade barbecue sauce, a tablespoon adds fruit and depth without the need for additional sugar.

From experience: It pairs better with warm desserts such as roasted pear slices or Kaiserschmarrn than the Apple Balsamic Vinegar does, because it does not overpower the fruit. For tart, tannin-forward salads, however, reach for the fruit vinegar made from quince.

From the unruly heirloom pear to mild balsamic

Heirloom pear varieties are not table fruit. Raw, they taste tart and grainy; they were planted for must, not for the fruit bowl. In Styria, these trees often grow in traditional orchard meadows, bear fruit later than table fruit, and produce less of it.

Traditional orchard meadows are green spaces with scattered, tall-stemmed fruit trees beneath which the grass is mown or grazed. Many of these trees are older than the farmhouses next to them. Their fruit provides exactly the tannins that a balsamic vinegar needs for long aging.

Gölles presses the pears, ferments the juice, and then fills it into oak barrels. Around 1,500 of these are stored in the cellar in Riegersburg. Oak is not watertight: in summer, it draws more water out of the vinegar, while in winter, it draws almost none. What remains becomes denser, and the wood releases tannins that add structure.

Good to know: Gölles does not filter the Pear Balsamic Vinegar until it is clear. Over time, therefore, a fine sediment from the fruit settles at the bottom. Swirl the bottle briefly before pouring, and it will redistribute.

A mild introduction to the world of balsamic vinegars

What makes the Pear Balsamic Vinegar special is its accessibility: It combines barrel aging with a fruit that is instantly recognizable. This makes it suitable for people who have previously found dark balsamic vinegars too overpowering. As a gift for a cheese evening, it is just as suitable as it is for a menu featuring bitter salads and roasted poultry.

It is not suitable for classic marinades with a lot of vinegar or for pickling, as it lacks the acidity. Its strength lies in the final step, just before the plate is brought to the table.

For everyone who prefers balsamic vinegar fruity rather than heavy and trusts an old Styrian pear with what is usually reserved for grapes.