The Best Balsamic Vinegars You Can Buy at the Grocery Store

Like the cast of Friends, balsamic vinegar was impossible to escape in the 90's—in reductions, on strawberry and goat cheese salads, drizzled onto everything. The best balsamic vinegars bear little resemblance to those dressings and glazes that were ubiquitous at strip mall “Mediterranean bistros”

drizzled onto strawberry, goat cheese, and spinach, reduced and drizzled onto everything. The 90's were a decade of overexposure for balsamic vinegar.  Balsamic vinegar is like the PB+J of vinegars: You know it, you’ve had it, you can pretty much find it anywhere. But, like most ubiquitous food products in the U.S., the quality can vary widely. When it comes to good quality balsamic vinegar, there are three terms you need to know: D.O.P., Condimento, and IGP. According to Michael Harlan Turkell, author of Acid Trip: Travels in the World of Vinegar, if one of these three words is on the label, you’re making a decent choice.

True balsamic vinegar is always labeled “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale” and has a D.O.P. stamp, which basically guarantees that the origin and location of production (Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy) has been verified. Although we would all love to drizzle the finest balsamic from Modena on every one of our salads, that may not be realistic. “When we find them, they're quite expensive”, says Turkell.

Condimento is your next tier of balsamic. The term legitimizes good quality balsamic that was not supervised as closely as a D.O.P. or did not age as long as a typical D.O.P. Still, this type of balsamic vinegar is typically aged for 3-7 years.

There’s not enough D.O.P. and Condimento balsamic to meet the world’s demand, so the term I.G.P. confirms that the grape used to create the balsamic is similar to the grape from the region of Modena in Italy. I.G.P. balsamic vinegar is likely to be your best supermarket bet: a mass-produced balsamic that still maintains some quality standards.

We tasted over a dozen affordable brands of balsamic and, with Turkell’s guidance, chose five we’d keep on hand for cooking, drizzling, and all-purpose use. Consider these balsamics your gateway to the “good stuff.”