Balsamic vinegar price to soar

IT’S enough to make your rocket and romaine leaves go limp, because the price of balsamic vinegar could rise by almost half.

The trendy ingredient for dinner party salad dressings is set to soar because of a shortage caused by crop failures in the grapes used to make the syrupy liquid.

Genuine balsamic vinegar is made from grape ‘must’, the cooked juice of grapes traditionally grown in the Modena region of northern Italy, although there are now brands from other parts of the country and Spain.

But the whole region has been hit by a devastating crop failure because of a late spring frost followed by a very dry summer – a perfect storm of unfriendly conditions for farmers, said trade journal The Grocer.

It means the yield will be around 15 per cent down over the next 12 months, which means suppliers will be offering the more limited stock to the highest bidders.

Amid the likely shortage, the price could rise by as much as 45 per cent, according to Marco Nodari of the premium Italian brand Mengazzoli.

‘The harvest this year has been a disaster. Prices will change rapidly,’ he told The Grocer, before adding that an increase of 45 per cent is ‘not out of the question’.

The journal said this would probably come into effect early next year.

True, artisan-made balsamic vinegar can take years to mature. It carries the label ‘Tradizionali’ and a stamp of authenticity with the initials DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta). A 250ml bottle of Mengazzoli can cost around £13 in the shops.

However, most of what we buy in supermarkets costs around £2 for 250ml – but without the DOP stamp, which allows some makers to use cheaper ingredients that some connoisseurs claim are much lower grade.