If You're Buying Balsamic Vinegar, Here's How To Tell If It's Really From Modena

Pay close attention to the labels, seals, bottle shapes and even the wax-and-cork closures.

Vinegar has been making a lot of noise over the past couple of years for a number of reasons, ranging from the apparent novelty of drinking vinegar to its health benefits, which include weight management, blood sugar control and gut health. If you even say “apple” near Siri or Alexa, it seems, you’re inundated with apple cider vinegar products. But if you’re in the market for balsamic vinegar, you should probably pay close attention to the labels, seals, bottle shapes and even the wax-and-cork closures the next time you’re at the grocery store. Not all balsamics are created equal. Many aren’t even balsamics. The real stuff stems only from native-grown grapes in the regions where it originated: the Modena and Reggio Emilia provinces of Emilia Romagna, Italy.