Napa Valley Naturals Balsamic Grand Reserve Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is one of those classic ‘it’ ingredients that can make or break a dish, and folks get passionate about all the many (many, many…) details of it’s production, origin, age, etc. So, what the heck makes a great balsamic vinegar anyway? And is it possible to find a good one that doesn’t cost a gazillion dollars and isn’t a million years old…and aged in the gilded skull of a dragon…and gently fanned by palm-leaf-bearing virgins, etc? Well, yes…

We discovered Napa Valley Naturals Balsamic Grand Reserve Vinegar at a natural foods trade show in California a few years back. What originally drew my attention to the Napa Valley Naturals booth was the fact that they were offering little individual samples of balsamic vinegar ‘neat’.

Straight vinegar? No bread? No oil? We had been hearing about ‘real’ balsamic vinegar for years as this super-ingredient that was so good that totally sane people even put it on ice cream. That’s just crazy sounding, and not until we tried this one did we understand all the fuss. Frankly, most balsamic vinegars we’d tried were of the $3 to $4 variety: runny, bitter, too acidic and one dimensional. Here, finally, was the ‘real’ deal that’d convert anyone, even at $10 a bottle. Trust us on this, we’ve converted lots and lots of people and we’ll convert you, too.

Aged up to 18 years in a series of cherry wood casks , this balsamic vinegar is thick and sweet and not bitter at all. It’s more like a tangy, highly complex grape syrup than a vinegar, and it’ll change the way you think of vinegar and it’ll change the way you cook. Don’t think so? Try this:

• Caramelized onions with a splash of this balsamic vinegar and a little rosemary to elevate a steak.
• Drizzle some over fresh strawberries and panna cotta.
• One part balsamic vinegar, two parts olive oil, fresh herbs, and salt and pepper all whisked-up into the perfect uber-easy salad dressing.

Or just keep it simple and pour a little into a bowl with some good Olive Oil and dip a good crusty bread into it. If it’s good straight out of the bottle it’s got to be good in any of this stuff..

Our family has been dividing up cases of this for a couple of years now and we all start to panic a little when the stock starts to get a little low, which generally doesn’t take very long. So do yourselves a favor and seek out this delectable ambrosia, and then find an excuse to use it on everything…really, you’ll thank us.