Italy has moved to defend the authenticity of Modena's balsamic vinegar over attempts by Slovenia to 'standardise' its production in a market worth about €1 billion. The Italian agriculture ministry has written to the European Commission contesting the move by Slovenia whose draft regulations on the classification of vinegar quality has caused alarm in Italy.

Slovenia is seeking to label any vinegar mixture with concentrated fruit juice or must as balsamic vinegar, a move described as "a great offence to tradition and to the efforts made by producers of Modenese excellence," according to Federico Desimoni, director of the Modena balsamic vinegar consortium.