There are over 300 producers of balsamic vinegar in Modena, but only a few can say their balsamic is made from grapes grown on their own estate. Since 1871 and for four generations, the famiglia Leonardi, with Giovanni as the artist and his son Franceso in marketing, embody what we at Manicaretti believe to be one the most perfect producers of its kind.

The Leonardi farm is located 16 km. southwest of the city of Modena, near the river Secchia and Sassuolo at the foothills of the Apennines. The 10 hectares of land surrounding the family house and acetaia have a canopy of local clones of Lambrusco and Trebbiano grapes, which have been planted and trained in arbor method to ensure that the fruit ripens in the shade of its own leaves during the very hot summer months. The grapes are hand-harvested in September and October and crushed using a pneumatic-press, which gently bursts the fruit without crushing the stems or the seeds.  The resulting mosto is cooked for 72 hours in an open-air copper cauldron at 85° C until it has lost almost 70% of its initial volume and becomes a dense, dark, fragrant and deliciously sweet brown syrup. Giovanni emphasizes that the temperature should never exceed 90° C because it would create excessive amount of caramelization, giving the vinegar a bitter taste which would be impossible to remove. 

• Please allow 3-7 business days for processing and delivery.
• Products are shipped in eco-friendly sustainable and biodegradable packaging.
• All frozen products may be received in a frozen or partially frozen state and should be immediately placed in the freezer upon receipt.
• All frozen products should be cooked from a frozen state according to the package instructions.
• We do not ship to PO Boxes.