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)

Create your own bespoke box

Would you like a box from one particular producer? Or have in mind a particular style of olive oils to suit your larder?  Please email us on info@frantoi.org or call us and we can help you put together something special for you or someone you love. We also have a wedding gift service for your special day.

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Frantoio Region Flavours Good with
Frantoio di Riva Garda Mineral, cut grass, delicate This is very cool climate olive oil, mild and delicate, great for salads and fresh water fish. Highly mineral with aromas of foraged greens and a hint of citrus.
Frantoio Paolo Cassini Liguria Fine, pine nut, saline Elegant and relatively mild olive oil excellent for fish and to dress steamed vegetables as well as for making pesto and mayonnaise. A particular favourite with children and those who don’t like spicy oil.
Frantoio Franci Tuscany Herbaceous, bitter, majestic These decisive, peppery oils are benchmark Italian style and pair well with meat, pasta and grains as well as fully flavoured vegetables such as roots or porcini mushrooms.
Frantoio Viola Umbria Elegant, aromatic, peppery These exceptionally balanced and elegant oils are divine, we will never be without Viola in our kitchen. Good complexity and spice make them well suited to grilled meat and a great partner to a wide range of vegetables both cooked and raw. They truly enhance your cooking.
Frantoio De Carlo Puglia Luxuriant, fruity, buttery The style of De Carlo is riper and more luxuriant in texture. Fabulous with an extremely broad range of vegetables as well as sea food. A great choice for someone who uses quite a bit of butter in their cooking or coconut and avocado oils (and a healthier alternative!)
Frantoi Cutrera Sicily Spice, tomato leaf, herbaceous These oils are fragrant and rich in aromas of mediterranean herbs. Each of the four oils offered differ greatly ranging from one more suitable to children and at the other end of the spectrum ‘mille’ which is an intense elixir charged with incredibly high polyphenol content and can even be used on the skin.

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