quality aged balsamic vinegar- tips

[papaver]

I'm with Oakleaf. How much do you want to spend? Find a pretty bottle.
What you're buying is old vinegar with some sugar added. I've had the cheap and the expensive, and when you toss it into a salad, there's not that much difference. But it's a gift, and it would be tacky to put a bottle of safeway brand in a basket as a gift.

That's just it! A good balsamico vinegar doesn't have caramel or sugar added! But those are really expensive (over 50$ for a 250 ml bottle). A good alternative is Saporoso. http://www.acetaiamalpighi.it/saporoso.htm