Owner-Led Balsamic Vinegar Tour & Tasting in Vignola, Modena
Description
Meet your host Mariangela at her family home and vinegar acetaia for a vinegar tour, tasting and food pairing. The vinegary is in Vignola, a town 20km from Modena center and 20 km from Bologna. Visiting this charming traditional vinegary in the province of Modena is a truly unique experience: you enter a world full of history, visit lofts and breathe in the delicate perfume of traditional vinegar. Mariangela, the owner herself will welcome you into the tasting room where you will hear about her family's story of vinegar production. Learn about how traditional balsamic vinegar and saba (a grape juice condiment) are made. Then walk up to the historic loft and get a glimpse into how vinegar is aged. Return to the tasting room for a vinegar and saba tasting as well as a food pairing with signature ingredients of the region - Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, Parma ham and bread, and seasonal fruit.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- If any travelers in your party have any allergies, dietary restrictions or preferences please advise at time of booking
- Private, personalized experience
- Mariangela can be flexible with time in the morning so if you would like to start slightly earlier or later feel free to let her know when making your booking
- Please note that this producer does offer a free tour directly on her site. The difference between their free offer and this experience is that it is a private experience with an expert and includes a food pairing
- Please also note that the vinegary is in Vignola, a town located 20km from Modena and 20 km from Bologna
- On days that Mariangela is not available, a member of her family will give you a tour of their vinegary
Reviews(46)
This experience was worth every penny. We learned so much about the process of making high quality balsamic. From start to finish it earned high marks. From Mariangela giving very concise directions for our train travel from Bologna to Vignoli, to her picking us up from the train station and bringing us back, to tasting her wonderful product paired with several different foods, we highly recommend this tour. We can't wait to taste the products we purchased, although their was no hard sell to buy anything. Thank you again to Mariangela (and her Mom) for this wonderful experience and sharing your love and enthusiasm for your family's generations of balsamic production. Grazie!
What a very special place to visit. Our host was incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about her craft and it was an honor to have it shared with us during our visit. The food pairing with the vinegar samples were absolutely delicious especially the bacon wrapped prunes. Will never look at a bottle of balsamic vinegar the same way again after this day.
The tour was led by the gracious matriarch of the company. It was so interesting to learn the process of vinegar production and to see the barrels
Thank you for the wonderful tour of your vinegar facility. Experiencing your passion and dedication to the craft was truly inspiring. We were fascinated by the traditional methods and attention to detail at each step, from fermentation to aging. Your hospitality made the visit memorable, and we left with a deep appreciation for the art and flavor of your products. Looking forward to enjoying them again and sharing this experience with others.
Outstanding visit to learn about and taste balsamic vinegars! Giovanna, the matriarch of the family, gave us an informative talk, showed us the acetaia, and even made some treats to taste with balsamic. It was top notch. Giovanna was a great guide, so very enthusiastic and very proud of her family's business.
I can't say enough good things about this experience. Communication was excellent, starting on WhatsApp a few days before the tour, when Mariangela helped me figure out the best way to manage our luggage and get to Vignola from Bologna. She even changed the start time of our tour by 45 minutes to fit the train schedule. We felt like family from the moment Giovanna picked us up at the Vignola train station. The tour started in the car, with her sharing the family history and her passion for the business that her husband's grandfather started as a hobby. The tour itself was fantastic - located at the family's home, where three generations live and were coming and going about their daily lives. The tour officially started with a walk through the vinegar production area, then moved on to a seated tasting and lesson on the different types of vinegar and pairings, and ended with some incredible snacks made by Giovanna herself to feature the pairings. We brought home several bottles of our favourites and are so excited to use the different sabas and vinegars where they're paired best. Balsamic vinegar will never taste the same again.
If I could give them 10 stars, I would. This day trip was a highlight of our stay in Florence! Marie angels and Giovanna were so welcoming and accommodating. Giovanna picked us up at the train station in the rain and gave us a fabulous tour with all the history of their acetaia. We even had a delightful snack at the end so we could see how the different types are used. Just a wonderful tour!
This tour and family were so welcoming and informative about their family business and places around Italy that they recommend visiting. The balsamic vinegar was top notch! We purchased at the end and didn’t feel pushed to do so. The tour was in depth and I learned a lot. Definitely recommend!! I attended with a 7 & 11 year old, kids were a little bored with it but still learned and had fun.
This tour was so heartfelt and genuine! You could feel Giovanni’s pride throughout the whole visit and it was such a treat to be invited in to her family home. I learned so much about balsamic vinegar and the tasting was delicious. Giovanni makes all the refreshments her self and we were able to eat them in underneath the 250+yr old grape trees. One of my favorite activities I did in Italy for sure!
Excellent experience! Highly recommend! Very well presented and plenty to taste! One of the highlights of our trip !
