Balsamic vinegars are generally pretty acidic (usually 6%), but people may not realize it because they often have such complex musty & sweet notes that can bury the acidity (depending on the variety).  In cheap industrially-produced balsamics a lot of red wine vinegar is added to artificially boost their acidity to that 6% level because they’re only briefly aged, but traditional balsamics achieve a perfect balance and natural acidity through slow and careful fermentation, aging, and evaporation.

Here’s a list of the aged vinegars we currently carry and their acidity levels:

Note: by Italian law, balsamics (except Affinato & Extra Vecchio vinegars) must contain at least a little red wine vinegar, so its presence on an ingredients list isn’t necessarily an indicator of quality.

– Question submitted by Michael