Correct, but “fake” is mentioned in the title, and real is the obverse/inverse of fake. It’s the inverse of the implication that “fake balsamic vinegar exists,” which is a statement that has multiple possible meanings and interpretations, one of which being: any balsamic vinegar which is not traditional balsamic vinegar is “fake.” I do not subscribe to such a view, as I explained my own view further in my original comment.
> And any suggestion the common, non-trad variety is fake is conspicuously absent from the body.
To me, it’s somewhat obvious that the author believes real balsamic vinegar exists and so too must fake exist of the same, by process of deduction and elimination: due to the fact that the author discusses DOP traditional balsamic vinegar, the two grape varieties and growth regions used for grape must, multiple wooden barrels, and so on; these characteristics and methods are contrasted with other balsamic vinegars made using wine vinegar.
To me, it reads that the author is using a wide reading of the team “fake” and a narrow interpretation of “real” by implying that the only real balsamic vinegar is traditional, and anything else is therefore fake.
To quote TFA, italics mine for emphasis:
>> And yet, many have never tasted the real "black gold" of Modena, Italy. It takes 12 years to make the best, aceto balsamico tradizionale (traditional balsamic vinegar), and at least 25 to make the finest, extra Vecchio.
>> Because of traditional balsamic vinegar's painstaking artisanal production process, supplies are limited, and it tends to be rather pricey. And so, as the global demand for it has risen since the early 1980s, a market for imitation balsamic vinegar and cheaper products has exploded. In one instance in March 2019, a dramatic Interpol operation in northern Italy seized 9,000 tonnes of crushed grapes intended to be made into fake balsamic vinegar.
What do you think the author means by ‘“fake” balsamic vinegar?’