“Most Expensive”: Content Creator Magriet Can't Deal With Price of Bottled Vinegar at Woolies

• A social media creator spotted what may be the most expensive item on Woolworths shelves, a 25-year-aged balsamic vinegar priced at nearly R3,000
• The tiny 100 ml bottle comes from Modena, Italy, and carries a Protected Designation of Origin certification that makes it unlike any supermarket vinegar
• South Africans flooded the comments with disbelief, humour and a few surprising confessions about owning the bottle themselves

A South African content creator left her followers stunned after discovering a bottle of balsamic vinegar on a Woolworths shelf with a price tag of R2,999.99. Magriet of @magriet.co, a social media business coach with over 66,000 Instagram followers, shared the find on 14 November 2026, and the clip quickly got people talking.

The product in question is the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena D.O.P., a 100 ml bottle that works out to roughly R30 per millilitre. For context, Woolworths also stocks everyday balsamic vinegar starting from R79.99 for a 250 ml bottle.

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Why this vinegar costs so much

The price is not random. The vinegar carries a Protected Designation of Origin certification, meaning it can only be produced in Modena, a small region in northern Italy, using traditional methods involving cooked grape must rather than standard wine vinegar blends. The specific bottle on the Woolworths shelf is a 25-year-aged Giuseppe Cremonini variety, which has spent decades slowly evaporating in wooden barrels before it ever reaches a shelf.

Magriet shared a fascinating detail about the ageing process: in the old days, families would start a barrel when a child was born, and the vinegar would only be ready by the time that child got married. The bottle itself was designed by an Italian car designer and is the only authorised vessel in which the vinegar may be sold.

At R150, she noted, you would only be getting about a teaspoon of the stuff.

Watch the Woolworths vinegar discovery that stopped shoppers in their tracks here:

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Mzansi reacts to the R3,000 vinegar

South Africans had plenty to say in the comments section on the Instagram page:

@julianwolfaardt wrote:

"Perfect for my tomato salad… 🤩"

@sixties_sass shared:

"I was fortunate to be invited to the actual farm in northern Italy where they produce this balsamic. It's very much the same as it was 100 years ago. It's not to be used lavishly 🤪 one drop in ice cream or a bowl of strawberries and that's all it takes."

@6degeast joked:

"Let me guess. That 25yr old balsamic vinegar expires August next year 😂😂😂"

@banelekhoza added:

"'Use within 3 days after opening' 😩"

@herminahra said:

"Ideal gift for a chef 😂"

@debcassel warned:

"Please put it down and don't drop it 😂😂😂"

@mbuyi_93 laughed:

"And then my hubby makes his caramelised onions with it 🙄… will stick to my usual 🤣"

@liezlemyburgh revealed:

"I actually have the 12 year old and the 25 year old. Bought it in Modena and it is very special."

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@justplated_ concluded:

"Mind blown 🤯 I'm just gonna stick to the R50 South African version 😂🤭"

More on Woolworths

• Briefly News recently reported on a lifestyle creator’s follow-up to her viral pot comparison between Woolworths and Checkers.
• Woolworths Food has opened a new standalone store in Limpopo that's different from other stores in the country.
• Two friends put a grocery budget to the test in a Spain and South Africa supermarket experiment that included a trip to Woolworths.

Source: Briefly News