Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia PDO "Silver Seal", 3,5 oz. Least 20 years old + glass tic

I was very happy to find this balsamic vinegar on Amazon. I needed to replace it for a client (it had been broken in a move I had organized for her). My client had originally purchased this in Italy, on her honeymoon, so it was very, very important I replace it. During the shipping of it the glass top had broken. The manufacturer has been responsive and understanding of my situation. I can't remember the last time I encounter such excellent customer service. Ohh... by the way, my client let me taste the balsamic vinegar and it was out of this world amazing. I won't be able to use grocery store balsamic vinegar again.

First of all, I only discovered that the balsamic vinegar that I have used for years had practically no resemblance to real balsamic aged vinegar when I visited the province of Reggio Emilia in Italy and toured an "acetaia" (the vinegar-cellar where real balsamic vinegar is made). This vinegar is so different from the "balsamic vinegar of Modena" that I bought for years at the grocery store. First-it has been aged anywhere from 12-25 years in barrels made of specific wood to achieve the specific flavors (like mulberry, chestnut, or juniper). This vinegar has the viscosity of syrup..not liquid. It's dark brown with a really complex bitter-sweet taste. I purchased my first bottle of this while on that tour in Italy. It was very pricey (obviously, due to the production time and requirements) but something I was not used to with the vinegar I was used to using.The proprietor of the vinegar cellar showed us how to use the vinegar wisely, for enhancing salads or meats with a few drops or better yet, drizzling a few drops onto vanilla ice cream with some slivered almonds! The taste is amazing!The first bottle lasted me 2 years and I used it almost exclusively as a topping for my ice cream as a delicious treat, although there are dozens of other uses. The purpose of this is to 'drizzle', not drown your food to enhance and complicate the flavors. It was really enlightening to me since the American version is a watery substance used in much larger quantities with none of the flavor complexities.The packaging of this product is lovely. It comes in a beautiful box with detailed brochures of the production process and the history of the product. It also comes with a cork pourer (for lack of the correct term) that stops the user from over-pouring and allows the desired amount to be distributed to the food.This is my second bottle and just as good as the first. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in traditional Italian cuisine!