Years ago, in response to the demand for sweet vinegar that wouldn’t stain lettuce, producers introduced white balsamics. Most are made from the cooked, sweet unfermented must of white grapes, the basis for genuine balsamic, with white wine vinegar and, often, sugar added. Now Carandini, a centuries-old producer of balsamic vinegars in Modena, Italy, has introduced a sweet white vinegar made from white grape must and wine vinegar. They do not call it white balsamic. But it provides a tart yet syrupy condiment for enhancing the sweetness of seared scallops, to drizzle over cheese or to season slices of ripe peach. Pour an ounce of it over ice in a wine glass, add a couple of ounces of sparkling water and a lemon twist and you have a really lovely mocktail.
Carandini Bianca Sweet White Vinegar, $10.99 for 8.4 ounces at Whole Foods.
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