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Ferdinando’s Gift
Ferdinando Cavalli, wine-maker and cellarman as well as celebrated founder of our company, decided after WWII to extend the small family Acetaia (the facility where the sets of barrels are stored for aging) in order to satisfy the growing number of friends and select customers of his small winery with a much appreciated gift of vinegar. Until 1920 the winery had been well known in the area for its excellent production of Lambrusco and sparkling white wines. | 
The old Cavalli winery |
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Trebbiano grapes | Considering his vast experience of wine-making over maany years, it was completely natural for him to start the vinegar crafting from the essence of the wine, that is, the quality musts (must is fresh grape juice) that have always been the ONLY ingredient in Traditional Balsamic Vinegar.
Today, just like in the past, the musts for Traditional Balsamic Vinegar are obtained from strictly local grapes such as Trebbiano, Spergola, Sauvignon and various Lambrusco grapes. The musts will slowly simmer in varts to increase their sugar concentration through water evaporation.
In order to realise his objective, father Ferdinando , better known as Nando, set out with great passion to collect from throughout the countryside surrounding Scandiano, the greatest possible number of precious small barrels, and surprisingly some were still filled with old winegars dated four, even five generations earlier. His suppliers were the surrounding local noble families.
Nando was the first, in the Modena and Reggio Emilia area to start a home-based production of the very respectable Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, and in a few years he made it known and appreciated all over the world.
Thank you, Ferdinando! | 
Ferdinando Cavalli |
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From the Soul of the Italian wine
Today it falls upon his sons Giovanni and Roberto, to continue this ancient “vinegar-making” tradition.
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Giovanni Cavalli | 
Roberto Cavalli |
Our “Acetaia” | Our acetaia is located just outside Scandiano, in the high plain of Reggio Emilia, a short distance from the first gentle hills of the Apennines.
In the rustic attic and in special dedicated rooms of our facility rows and rows of newly-started or well-established batterie (vinegar barrels of different sizes tended as a unit) host the precious vinegar.
The batterie made up of barrels of different woods represent the only required equipment for proper vinegar formation, allowing optimal ageing and refinement for the most prestigious Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia.
We bottle and package the vinegar which will then be shipped out of our small facility to markets all over the world, to delight the most demanding restaurateurs and gourmets.
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Our “Batterie”, sets of barrels |
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Studies and researches about the evolution of our manufacturing process.
Cavalli is active in the study and research about Balsamic vinegar. There is a close co-operation with Research Institutes and analysis laboratories like the Reggio Emilia and Modena University, where prof. Giudici works. Professor Paolo Giudici is one of the major expert in vinegar, especially in balsamico.
Our company took part in research project like European project Winegar 'Wood solutions to excessive acetification length in traditional vinegar production', where we studied the influence of woods (thickness, shape, kind) in the acetification. We studied the different acetic-bacteria, selected and developed the best of these for traditional vinegar production.
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