Amazing Artisan Offering from the Italian Dolomites at the Deli
One of my favorites from the many great vinegars we have at the Deli is probably among the least known. It’s not that surprising—very few folks walk around Ann Arbor, angsting that they haven’t been able to score some quince vinegar. If I can convince enough vinegar lovers to try this one though, that could all change! This exceptional naturally converted, barrel-aged quince vinegar from northern Italy is something truly special!
Food writer Faith Durand wrote, “Quince is a tough fruit, not well known, and often hard to come by. But it has the most amazing, sweet, and secret reward.” This vinegar is one of the best ways I know to access that reward, one that takes no work at all on our end. The labor that goes into this is all done in northern Italy, in the region of the Alto Adige by the folks at the acetaia (vinegar maker) Pojer e Sandri. I think all of their vinegars are amazing, but I can’t seem to get this quince vinegar out of my mind over the last few months. Or off our counter at home. There’s something so elegant, so exceptional, so light, but still so lovely, about it that I’ve been putting it on pretty much every salad I make of late.
Fiorentino Pojer and Marco Sandri have been making vinegar in the Trentino region of Italy since the mid-’70s. They do what they do with dignity for their raw materials, the region they come from, their products, and the people they work with. For their wine vinegar, they use the not-well-known, but really wonderful regional varietal grapes. Their fruit vinegars—like this one—are made solely from fruit. Most ‘fruit vinegars’ on the market are made by mixing wine vinegar with fruit extract. But as Michael Harlan Turkell wrote in his terrific book, Acid Trip, “The best vinegars are made from the best ingredients.” In that spirit, Pojer e Sandri uses local fruit to make fruit wine, the way it’s been done for centuries, then converts that over a period of 18-24 months to vinegar using old-style, natural-conversion methods. The juice is placed in oak, cherry, or acacia barrels to acetify for up to 2 years before bottling.
Rolando Beramendi, friend and importer of amazing artisan Italian foods (of which Rustichella pasta is probably the most famous) for almost 40 years now, shared this from his apartment in Florence:
I can’t think of a better vinegar to welcome Autumn than quince vinegar… especially splashed all over the Thanksgiving turkey! I used it last week when I taught a cooking class for a group of wonderful people I co-hosted with our wonderful mutual friend Miss E! (Elizabeth Minchilli!) I used it in making the recipe in my book Autentico “Cipolline in Agrodolce” Sweet and Sour Cipolline (Page 302). I’ve been using the quince vinegar instead of white wine vinegar because I think it gives it another dimension… sweeter, softer, gentler, and a flavor that not many people are familiar with.
I think the vinegar is especially perfect for everything with onions! I love it on stewed caramelized onions, on a simple onion salad. I love it on even pork roast, a drizzle before serving it! It tones down the acidity and it’s not a sweet stupor as balsamic does, especially the ones used in salads. The other day I made a nice mixed green salad and used Fuji persimmons sliced very thin. I cut the persimmons thin and then marinate them in the quince vinegar, a touch of great olive oil, and salt and pepper… delish! I have also sneaked a few drops on crema gelato… YUM! The quince vinegar has been very good on every sort of salad I’ve tried it on, and is particularly wonderful with blue cheese or walnuts. It’s super nice as a deglaze for scallops. A little bit sprinkled into a bean salad adds a bit of brightness and sweetness. It also enlivens any apple pie, salad dressing, or fruit salad. In fact, I’ve been sipping it a fair bit straight from the bottle—it’s that good!
