More than 50 references of vinegars and balsamics: the improbable vinegar factory of Cyril Codina in Lagrasse

La vinaigrerie de Lagrasse, dans l’Aude : un lieu improbable signé du très inspiré Cyril Codina. Midi Libre – Michael Esdourrubailh

Au cœur du magnifique village audois, aménagée dans un ancien gîte, la vinaigrerie remet au goût du jour une vieille pratique que l’on croyait accaparée par les seuls industriels. Un passionné créatif lui a redonné vie.

It is accessed by a charming patio, all around which artisans have taken up residence: a honey producer, a coffee roaster, a home-made restaurant. All around, on the roofs and in the old stone rooms, dozens of demijohns and some 200 barrels. Inside, vinegar. Aging and maturing.

For about twenty years, Cyril Codina, winemaker, has taken on a challenge: to produce vinegar and balsamic in this remote little corner of the Aude, in the charming village of Lagrasse. An unexpected initiative simply because we thought vinegar was abandoned to the hands of industrialists.

Never has a vinegar been so sweet

“Originally, it was David Moreno, a former starred chef, who was at Fontjoncouse before Gilles Goujon, who suggested to Cyril Codina to start producing vinegars and other balsamics”, explains Marine Serres, a collaborator of Cyril Codina. The result is astonishing: the vinegar factory has nearly fifty references, which can be found in the adjoining shop.

This profusion of references illustrates the creativity of man. Constant testing to combine perfumes and flavors. And then, a feat (for our palates): never has vinegar been so sweet. We understand the reason even better when we visit the site and discover the production process, made of maturation and refining.

Five years of fermentation for balsamic vinegars

It was while traveling in France and Italy in particular that Cyril Codina became familiar with the process and secrets of producing the condiment. Techniques that he then took up to produce his own products. As a winemaker, he already had the raw material: wine. All he had to do was let his inspiration speak.

We then discover, in full sunlight, the approximately 150 glass demijohns that participate in the natural flavoring and aging of late harvest vinegar. In the barrels, inside the vinegar factory, the aging of balsamics, which require 5 years of fermentation with grape must, and the vinegars produced from maceration. Upon arrival, a product of everyday life in our kitchens, our culinary inspirations and our palate pleasures.

Vinaigrerie Cyril Codina, 16 boulevard de la Promenade, Lagrasse. Tel. 04 68 75 83 66. Open every day. Tours at 10am, 11:30am, 2pm, 3:30pm and 5pm. Prices: €4.50 adults, free for under-18s.