> It's interesting to know that there's a special kind of balsamic vinegar that I've probably never tasted.
If Francesco Aggazzotti, the person who invented the modern recipe for traditional balsamic vinegar, which is the basis for the PDO standard, is elitist regarding the proper way to make his family recipe traditional balsamic vinegar is a claim that could be made. I don’t know how you could say that he’s wrong to do so without tasting it, however. You’re dismissing the whole basis for the DPO standard out of hand.
> But even if that's amazing, I still enjoy the balsamic vinegar I can get in the supermarket, and that's what almost everyone means when they say 'balsamic vinegar'.
I’m not trying to yuck your yum, here. I like what you like, too. I’m arguing for truth in advertising and labeling, so that counterfeit, fake, and adulterated products are eliminated from the market. I think there should be a finer distinction between balsamic vinegars that are made to essentially no standard with added wine vinegar and a single and/or non-wooden barrel, and balsamic vinegars made in other regions and countries in a traditional-compatible production process: Trebbiano and Lambrusco grape musts aged in a battery of multiple wooden barrels for at least 12 years.
The Wikipedia page for traditional balsamic vinegar has a helpful chart that further explains the differences in the production process.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_balsamic_vinegar
I think the DPO TBV and BVM standards have been largely helpful for consumers, and I think that better labeling standards for the types of grapes and aging process in other countries would help. The market has selected for a variety of different price points consumers find palatable.
The point of TFA is that consumers really don't know what they’re missing when it comes to traditional balsamic vinegar. I happen to believe we could go a long way toward replicating the aspects that make traditional balsamic vinegar possess a unique flavor profile in other grape growth regions while retaining the same traditional production methods. The author of TFA seems somewhat skeptical on this due to their effusive praise of traditional balsamic vinegar, but I think if the real thing is so good, it’s at least worth trying. As someone who likes balsamic vinegar myself, I think we both could agree it’s at the very least worth trying traditional balsamic vinegar for ourselves so we know what the brouhaha is all about, and so we know whether or not the distinction has a difference to us, personally.
I think it’s okay to appreciate the finer things in life, and I don’t think that pointing out that finer things exist makes one elitist: it’s just a matter of perspective, preference, and taste. That’s my point, basically.