While this special vinegar might be new to most of us, I’m pretty confident that if we had access to the best dinner tables of the Roman Empire it would have been present. A unique, exceptionally delicious fruit vinegar made by Joseph Reiterer in the mountainous Alto Adige region of northeast Italy and Robert Bauer in Germany. Nearly every other fruit vinegar on the market is made from wine vinegar sweetened with fruit syrup. Not this. Mr. Reiterer makes fig wine and sends it to master vinegar maker Mr. Bauer in Germany. There, the wine is converted naturally to vinegar then aged to intensify and soften its flavor. The end result is a vinegar that’s superbly smooth. The taste is ripe with figs. Amazingly, it’s not too sweet. The flavor is rich, raisiny, intense.

Add a bit to freshly broiled salmon, duck, a leafy salad. Or, in summer, splash a bit over fresh fruit. It sets a new standard for what a fruit vinegar can be.