vinagre (S)
essig (G)
vinagre (P)
vinegar (E)
vinaigre (F)
Le Mans, France
Le Mans, France is famous for its automobile race: the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Started in 1923, it is one of the world’s most famous races: part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, along with the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix. It’s not a distance race but rather an endurance race. First place is taken by the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours (hence the name). The race is held on something called the Circuit de la Sarthe, which consists of closed roads around Le Mans and portions of a racing track. While speed is important in order to rack up distance quickly, equally important is keeping the car running for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2024, the race was held on June 16, with about 180 cars entered, but as you can see by the schedule for 2025, more than a week of automobile-themed activities are planned.
Okay, you’re wondering how we’re going to get from auto racing in France to vinegar. Well, the French love their vinegar (you’ve certainly heard of French vinaigrette) but this particular trip heads east from Le Mans, France, past Milan to Modena, Italy. Modena is famous for its balsamic vinegar. When you exit the highway in Modena, you will see a giant bottle of balsamic vinegar.
What is balsamic vinegar? It is a vinegar made with unfermented grape must. Must is whole pressed grapes (usually trebbiano and lambrusco grapes) complete with juice, skin, seeds, and stems, which are then cooked down and aged and aged and aged. From a minimum of 12 years up to 25 years. Sometimes a very small amount of caramel is added to the finished product to adjust the sweetness and smoothness.
The original and best balsamic vinegars come from two areas of Italy: Modena and Reggio Emilia and are labeled “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia DOP” or “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP”. DOP means “Denominazione di Origine Protetta” in Italian, or you might see the European Union equivalent PDO (“protected designation of origin”). You’re looking for the words aceto balsamico tradizionale. You should also be pulling out your wallet, credit card or checkbook as the best balsamic vinegars can cost in the hundreds of dollars. They’re not for slopping on your salad but rather to be carefully drizzled over ice cream or steaks.
If this is a little dear for you, you might want to look for Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP, which is made by blending cooked grape must with regular wine vinegar. IGP stands for “Indicazione Geografica Protetta” (“protected geographical indication”), meaning that the vinegar was produced and bottled in Modena, even if the grapes were harvested elsewhere. Anything else is just some sort of vinegar but it’s not really balsamic vinegar.
Okay, here is where auto racing and vinegar meet. Modena happens to be the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the Ferrari car brand and Scuderia Ferrari racing. It’s still home to a Ferrari factory and a Ferrari museum. The other factory and museum are down the road in Maranello, established after the Modena factory was bombed during World War II. Click here for a great description of a visit to the museum, which tells the storied history of one of the most iconic brands in the world. I bet you can recognize the Ferrari logo.
If you’ve seen the movie Ford v Ferrari, you know that Ferrari almost became an American company back in the 1960s. In 1963, Enzo Ferrari offered to sell Ferrari to Henry Ford II, of Ford Motor Company, for about $18 million dollars. But Enzo pulled out of the deal when he realized that Ford wouldn’t let him still control Ferrari’s racing program. This irritated Mr. Ford so much that he decided to have his racing program build a car to compete against Ferrari at Le Mans. The result was the Ford GT40, which ended up winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969.
What else is Italy famous for? Yes, yes, pasta, but how about opera. Well, Modena has that covered too, as it was the birthplace of Luciano Pavarotti in 1935.
l