Il Tinello – Cooked Grape Must

Il Tinello Saba, reduced Trebbiano grape must

Il Tinello Saba is a mosto cotto, a reduced grape must from the Acetaia Il Borgo del Balsamico in Albinea. Not a vinegar, but a wonderfully sweet condiment made from Trebbiano grapes: dense, dark, with a fine grape flavor for cheese, desserts, and sweet dishes.

Il Tinello Saba is a mosto cotto, meaning reduced grape must, produced by sisters Cristina and Silvia Crotti in Albinea. Unlike balsamic vinegar, the must is not fermented after reduction, and no wine vinegar is added, allowing the natural sugar of the grapes to be preserved. With 2% acidity, the sweetness prevails; it is dense and dark, with the delicate flavor of ripe Trebbiano grapes from 100% grape must.

Dense, dark, and wonderfully sweet with grape flavor

Thick and deep dark, the Saba pours from the spoon with an intense, honey-like aroma of reduced grapes.

On the palate, it is full and sweet, with the concentrated taste of ripe Trebbiano grapes and only a faint acidity in the background. It is reminiscent of grape syrup, but finer because it is created slowly and gently. A spoonful is enough to add sweetness and depth to a dish, completely without added sugar. In this way, you taste the pure fruit, reduced over a long time in the mosto cotto, concentrated on the essentials.

With cheese, on ice cream, or in quark

Saba tastes just as good with aged cheese and cold cuts as it does as a natural sweetener for vanilla ice cream, pancakes, quark, or muesli. Anywhere you would usually reach for honey or syrup, Saba can step in with its grape sweetness.

We like to drizzle it over an aged Pecorino or Parmigiano, over warm pancakes, or into morning yogurt. As a sugar substitute, it gives desserts a dark, fruity sweetness, and over vanilla ice cream, it quickly becomes a table favorite. It also provides a sweet counterpoint to cold roast beef or ham. Saba unfolds its round, dark sweetness over grilled figs or with a strong blue cheese.

Those looking for the acid-forward side of the Acetaia will find it in the balsamic vinegars; however, Saba is the sweet sister in the line, closer to dessert than dressing.

An ancient condiment from Emilia

Il Borgo del Balsamico is the acetaia of sisters Cristina and Silvia Crotti in Albinea, in the green hills of Reggio Emilia.

Saba is an ancient condiment of Emilia: children once drizzled the reduced must like syrup over fresh snow, and families used it to stretch polenta. Cristina and Silvia keep this tradition alive, just as the family has cultivated the art of reduced must for over 40 years.

For the Saba, fresh Trebbiano grape must is reduced for hours at a low temperature, around 60 °C, until a dense, amber-colored, and dark, glossy product is formed. The long, gentle process turns simple grape must into a condiment that was once considered precious. It goes a long way from the 250 ml bottle, with no added caramel color, no preservatives, and it is gluten-free.

In addition to Saba, Il Borgo del Balsamico offers the full range of aceto balsamico and wine vinegars. You can find the entire range from the acetaia and the matching sweet red balsamic vinegar in our shop.