18 year aged balsamic adds a flair to gourmet cooking. A kitchen without aged balsamic vinegar is incomplete. Less than 20 years ago, aged balsamic was nearly an unknown Tuscan accoutrement. Now, cooks use it more and more. A couple drops of the very best aged balsamic on ripe strawberries, bartlett pears, or other fruit is a customary combination to end a main course.