What started as a family restaurant in 1973 on the square Castelvetro in Modena Italy, eventually gave way in the 1980s to La Vecchia Despensa and dedicated themselves 100% to the art and science of producing true Balsamic Vinegar. La Vecchia is the true passion of Mario and Clementina, a passion now passed on to Roberta and Marino.

To this day, La Vecchia Dispensa as a small artisanal balsamic-making house. They take care of all the characteristics of their  product, right down to the tiniest detail. Sometimes this may seem superfluous or even obsessive but for them every piece is unique and deserves all their attention, starting with the selection of raw materials right through to the packaging of the finished product.

PRODUCT NAME DISPLAIMER: Years ago La Vecchia Dispensa sold their products by their appproximate age - 6-year, 10-year, 12-year, etc. Back then, the "age" was stamped on the little red seal on the front of the bottle. But starting about 10 years ago, the Corsorsio Balsamico told them they could no longer sell by age, so now they sell their balsamico by density - and by a colored leaf system that you see on the front of their bottles, and sometimes on the sides of other makers bottles. I have noted the density in each product description, but by the time the the change was announced, we had already established the names online by their old age-related names, and we made the decision not to change them. We decided, as well, that selling Balsamico by density would not mean anything to anyone, and nor would selling by leaf color. So it's important to note that no longer will you see the age stamped on the little wax seal on the outside of the bottles, and you will have to take our word for it when it comes to the approximate age - as the age is no longer noted on the outside of the bottle. 

Learn more about the Solera balsamic making process: CLICK HERE

Thanks for sharing that wonderful story! Keep these emails coming. They are very refreshing.