Blackberry & Rosemary ‘Special Reserve’ Aged Balsamic

Our Blackberry & Rosemary ‘Special Reserve’ Aged Balsamic Vinegar is perfect for autumn nights, drizzling over goat’s cheese salads, game, or desserts. It works beautifully with rich meats like venison, lamb, goose & duck too.

We use our GREAT TASTE AWARD WINNING Gran Riserva ‘Special Reserve’ Aged Balsamic Vinegar as the base for this infusion. This is what the judges had to say about this base balsamic:

• Glossy, with good consistency; the ageing has done its work
• Real molasses notes; complex sweetness & lovely balance of acidity
• A dark & rich balsamic with good consistency & beautiful sheen

The key differences between our stunning, authentic aged balsamic vinegars compared with cheaper imitations are:

1. WE DON’T use watery, thin balsamic vinegar; ours are thick enough to use as a glaze but with NO artificial sweeteners or thickeners.
2. WE DON’T do ‘reductions’ – cheaper vinegars that have been boiled to reduce them (sometimes even with sugar) & make them thicker.
3. WE DON’T add a grain of sugar, caramel (E150) or sweeteners anywhere in the process – all the sweetness comes from the passing of time & from the fruit itself. 

This is unlike any ‘supermarket balsamic’ or cheap, watery vinegars made with 40-50% sugar.

Instead, our Blackberry & Rosemary ‘Special Reserve’ is a stunning, authentic aged balsamic from Modena, home of the World’s finest balsamic vinegars, aged for years in barrels until just the right balance of sweetness is attained & then infused with fruit to give the perfect explosion of flavours.

Use it as your ‘go-to’ balsamic: whenever you need to dress a salad, dip chunks of crusty bread into something, drizzle on meats or add a dash to sauces, this is a beautiful aged classic balsamic with a twist to bring it right up to date with today’s tastes. In fact, we drizzle this on lamb instead of mint sauce now.

As well as a bread-dipper, it’s the perfect partner to roast vegetables or tomatoes & excels when a few drops are drizzled over duck, lamb, venison or any game. Add a few drops to a stir fry, gravy or jus for an extra special sauce or make a marinade by adding a dash to oil, crushed garlic, thyme and whatever else you fancy.

Try a drizzle on thick greek yoghurt on pancakes, muesli or bircher in the morning for a fruity kick. Made with a Goat’s cheese salad in mind, it works just as well as an accompaniment on a cheese board, even with harder cheeses like parmesan or pecorino. It’s also fab on sautéed greens & veg.

This is an incredible partner to anything and you’ll only need a few drops to give a real richness.

As a finalist in the Carlsberg Northamptonshire Food Awards 2012/3, this is a firm favourite with customers & definitely a store-cupboard essential.