Fructus Ferus "Balsamic Style" Vinegar

Our “Fructus Ferus Vinegar Project” July 2017 ……July 2029”

Inspired by the traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena/Italy we started our project
In July 2017.

1. Using Domaine Dupont’s apple juice and our own quince juice as fruit base. We reduce both down to around 50 °Brix
2. We then initiate alcoholic fermentation using some of “OEC”s wild yeast cultures.
3. Acetic oxidation via acetic acid bacteria is next which we cultivate in a
   2002 wine barrel from South Africa that stores Iqhilika acidified dry mead {at a very high acidity level}
4. This process takes places in a series of wooden barrels of different sizes and
   different wood types {such as Ash, Arcasia, Oak, Juniper }
5. Every first week in March we follow the famous “Rincalzo aging process”. 10% of
   volume of smallest barrel [filled to 75% ] is removed. The next larger barrel is used to fill the smaller one back up to 75%. This process continues until we reach our largest barrel {50l }. This one is refilled from our “OEC” 250l storage barrel.

Thick, viscous, very dark reddish color, high aroma, and sweet-sour complexity.