LOCATION AND CLIMATE

 

As you might expect, olives grown in cooler areas where there is more moisture (rainfall and dew) exhibit leaner, more restrained characteristics.  This doesn’t however mean that great oil can now be made in Iceland – you need a minimum amount of sunshine to make your Extra Virgin Olive Oil taste remarkable, similarly to tomatoes or stone fruit.

Olive trees are sensitive to winter freeze (the Casaliva cultivar is more resistant to cold, hence being grown in the Garda region).  It is also easier to farm organically where the climate is more stable and less chemical sprays are required to keep the trees healthy.

OLIVE MATURITY

 

Here’s the thing – all olives are green.  When they become fully mature, they turn black.
Olive maturity at the time of harvest is a major factor in flavour and quality: olives harvested earlier (green olives) feature more bitter, grassy characteristics, with lower yields and with the highest anti-oxidant content.  The oil is a much more intense green colour and has a longer shelf-life.  In terms of production, milling can take longer with green olives (a longer malaxation - the action of slowly churning milled olives to release droplets of oil - is needed and can be more complicated) but the results are far superior!  Don’t choose olive oil from over mature fruit: it lacks all the potential goodness and flavour.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN GROVE AND MILL

 

People who care passionately about what they make and follow it personally every day have the capacity to create products with far higher quality, with integrity, and that taste of where they come from.  They are also able to do this by caring for the environment they inhabit.

FRANTOIO DI RIVA BOX

This box contains 6 bottles of extra virgin olive oil made exclusively by Frantoio di Riva from groves on the banks of lake Garda.

Frantoio di Riva, 46°PARALLELO green label x 3 bottles (50cl)
Frantoio di Riva, 46°PARALLELO organic white label x 1 bottle (50cl)
Frantoio di Riva, 46°PARALLELO blue label x 1 bottle (50cl)
Frantoio di Riva, ULIVA Garda Trentino DOP x 1 bottle (50cl)

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November 26, 2022 In EVOO

New to Frantoi: Frantoio Ciccolella

Bowled over by the quality of these incredible oils, we have added them to our portfolio in Puglia, not out of need, but out of desire. Puglia is of course Italy’s most prolific olive oil region and because of this, we taste extensively and regularly.  This always gives us the chance to discover something new and we have come close in the past to selecting new names to join the ranks but never crossed the line.

The Ciccolella family has been cultivating olives since 1878 in the territory that extends between Giovinazzo, Molfetta and Terlizzi just up the coast from Bari.  Four generations have dedicated themselves to their holding of 8,000 trees with incredible tenacity and a true passion, but it’s fair to say that their oils made a massive leap forwards with the inauguration of their new frantoio in 2020, which is pristine and beautiful in every regard, allowing the team to express their meticulous even fastidious approach to their two cultivars, Coratina and Ogliarola Barese.

Giuseppe Ciccolella believes that he didn’t inherit his land, he’s actually borrowing it from his children and that is what inspires him to farm in the most careful way possible not only with full respect for his surroundings, but the long-term health of his soils and his trees, many of which are centuries old.  This feels like the very best interpretation of the well abused word, sustainable. And we feel this transcends through the business – their packaging is also plastic-free and thoroughly considered.

These oils stand out for their elegance, precision and true varietal character making them extremely distinctive and excellent examples of what the stunning terre rosse can give. We will get more involved next year with these oils but we are truly thrilled to have them in our portfolio and to begin working with Giuseppe and his family. The results of their 2022 harvest are beyond stylish examples of this year.

For your first taste, try the Taste Around Italy box which includes Faresse, their monocultivar Ogliarola Barese, or ask us for a bespoke order.