Acetaia Comunale "Città di Vignola"

Vignola's municipal balsamic vinegar cellar, the Acetaia Comunale, occupies the clock loft of Villa Tosi-Bellucci, the town hall. Since 1999 its barrel batteries have aged Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and the local apple vinegar known as Agromela.

Why it matters

The acetaia makes a traditional household craft part of Vignola's civic heritage. The attic's seasonal temperature changes suit the slow ageing of vinegar, while the municipal barrels connect the town's agricultural identity with a product recognised under the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP designation. The cellar also preserves the local tradition of making Agromela from cooked apple juice.

What to notice

The vinegar matures in a descending battery of barrels made from different woods, including oak, cherry, ash, juniper and chestnut. Cooked must from grapes such as Trebbiano and Lambrusco is acetified and aged through the battery, with each wood contributing its own character. The cherry barrels provide a particular link to Vignola's surrounding orchards. The cellar also produces Agromela, an apple vinegar made from the cooked juice of local fruit.

Context and history

The municipal barrel batteries were installed in October 1999 in the clock loft of Villa Tosi-Bellucci, the town hall since 1915. Members of the Consorteria dell'Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Spilamberto helped establish the cellar and continue to contribute their expertise. In 2013 the acetaia marked its first DOP-labelled bottling with a public ceremony in Piazza dei Contrari. The project treats vinegar-making as a form of shared local knowledge as well as a food tradition.