Over a year ago I bought a bottle of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena - importer says no caramel in it, and it gets ripened in oak barrels. I just can't stand the taste. It ruined any salad I added it to. I bought the stuff for making a salad for guests but after trying it myself I didn't dare use it. I guess it's an acquired taste?

A friend told me he read that good balsamic vinegar should be from Modena! Here's a recent article from Bon Appetit about the best balsamics.

Maybe this will help - Best Balsamic Vinegars. Note: these are not the cream of the crop, aged for a minimum of 12 years balsamics but they are a decent, less expensive alternative for those of us that cannot afford $40 bottles of vinegar!!

I am partial to the Trader Joe's selection and have used it for several years. But I haven't tried the other two so can't comment on them. To me, the TJ's selection tastes very similar to the real balsamics I've enjoyed at better restaurants. I love it drizzled on strawberries or watermelon in summer, to combine with a good olive oil to dunk crusty bread in and to use with roasted veggies. I don't use it often as a salad dressing as the flavor is a bit too strong for a traditional vinaigrette but have used in salads with a lot of fruit included.......fruit and balsamic vinegar just seem to pair very well.

Most that have been using the faux/fakes, unknowingly, probably just like a sweeter salad dressing. Try some other dressing recipes that us apple cider vinegar, fresh fruit juice, and a little honey or maple syrup, I used fresh pomegranate in a holiday dressing.

I don't stock balsamic. Way overdone and too heavy. Overpowers most things it is used for. Really just meant to be a last minute tiny drizzle like a good garnish. I do like a good white balsamic. I stock an Italian Saba. And French Banyuls.

I find the faux vinegars are the least sweet...and that the real good stuff that cost as much for a 4 oz bottle as a bottle of decent brandy is really quite sweet....and certainly has a syrupy viscosity.
I use the cheaper supermarket stuff for marinating and for reducing for a sauce for green beans or brussel's sprouts....but the good stuff only goes on a salad or over berries or perhaps a few drops on garden tomatoes.
I have probably 6 or 7 different sorts of balsamic in my kitchen right now.

Thanks to all of you. I’ll read those articles. And copy the names for my next trip to the store.

Gardengal, which Trader Joe’s ones do you like? I go there often.

Specific recommendations are good.

I’d like to get one for cooking and another for putting just a few drops or a drizzle on a salad. My husband retired and now we are having a salad every day.

I had noticed that “from Modena” seems to be a selling point on most of them. That said, though, even the cheap stuff my spouse brought home said “from Modena” and to be just tastes like sweet vinegar with caramel coloring. Maybe there was a drop of the real thing in it. Maybe a fellow from Modena picked up a bottle and carried it around for a while.

From my link:

SECOND PLACE: Trader Joe’s Aceto Balsamico di Modena I.G.P. – Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, aged 10 years in oak barrels (Trader Joe’s, 46 cents per ounce)

ETA: It tells you on the label exactly where it is imported from (street address) and that it is "certified" by whatever Italian body oversees such things :-)

I'm late here, but I really like the Trader Joe's Aceto Balsamico di Modena. I can eat it out of a spoon and love it with crushed, fresh basil over tomatoes. Yum!

From Trader Joe's I've had the one with the red label, and the one with the label that has the landscape image in it. I have not tried the one with the gold label. They are all "aceto balsamico", so I don't know how else to distinguish them.

I buy Fini and Pomegranate Balsamic from Red Stick Spice Co. Will have to check out TJ's.

I like a combined drizzle of EVOO & balsamic on baby field greens with goat cheese. Also use balsamic when making Ina's Caramelized Shallots. Her recipe calls for red wine vinegar, but I prefer balsamic.

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/caramelized-shallots

https://www.redstickspice.com/collections/balsamic-vinegars/products/pomegranate-balsamic-vinegar-375-mls

Here, price is also a good indication. The really great stuff where a drop on a tomato transports it to heaven is very expensive but worth it.

The best Balsamic vinegar from Modena will have "Tradizionale" on the label. If it does not have that, then it is a cheaper imitation and may bear little resemblance to the Tradizionale vinegar, which resembles molasses in viscosity and sweetness. I buy it at a restaurant supply store, and I have found some as cheap as $30 that were very good but still did not have "Tradizionale" on the label. From my experience, price is a good indicator of how good it is, and you do get what you pay for.

Fondo di Trebbiano is a good brand for under $60, but it has been aged only 8 years. A tiny bit of this vinegar will go a long way. I like to put it on fruit, especially apple slices or strawberries.

Here is a relatively reasonably priced Tradizionale vinegar.

I'm a fan of Trader Joe's -- both the one with the red label (for marinating and some salads) and the gold label is good on veggies and some fruits. (note to self; try it on apple slices, thanks to Lars!). I've had incredible ones from the same restaurant supply store that Lars told us about. Those $60 bottles are incredible. I've also had a bottle from Sorrento Italian Market That was pretty awesome. Right now my favorite balsamic is from one of the olive oil/vinegar shops. It's called We Olive

And just for the record, I completely agree that some of the supermarket "balsamics" are sharp and just plain nasty!

I also like TJ's balsamic vinegar. I get the vinegar in the short, squat little bottle and the one I like is the most expensive of the several that they have. I know that Costco sells a big bottle for around $10. Next time I will try Costco's .