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)

August 28, 2021 In Italophile

The big rebound

It all began one evening in May this year. Italy was still quite behind with the vaccination program, and still waiting to see if the new Prime Minister, the experienced, competent and extremely respected Mario Draghi, appointed only a couple of months before, would deliver on the promises of efficiency and competence for which he had been asked to serve in office.

But change and rebirth came in the form of the very loud, energetic glam rock band Maneskin winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 for Italy for the first time since 1990. The country woke up in disbelief with radios blaring loud rock music and celebrating the strangest of victories, while most of the country was still in various stages of lock-down.
As the summer came and the country opened up, Disney Pixar’s movie Luca, set in the stunning Cinqueterre in Liguria (home to the sensational oils of Frantoio Paolo Cassini) celebrated trenette al pesto, 50s music, the Vespa scooter, the beautiful Mediterranean sea and carefree lifestyle, which we all missed.  It was the first ever major Disney feature set in Italy.
And then July came with one of the most memorable days in Italian sports: Matteo Berrettini was the first Italian ever to reach the Wimbledon final. The nation was gripped to the screen, as Berrettini gracefully conceded to Djokovic, only to rush to the other side of London and watch the final of the Euro2020 football championship against the hosts England.  Down by a goal after only a few minutes, Italy eventually won the Euro medal on penalties, and for the first time since 1968 the country was crowned the champion of Europe.
Italy felt invincible, but little did anyone know or expect that Marcell Jacobs would win Italy’s first track and field medal since 1984, by winning the most important medal of the Olympics – the 100m dash! Unbelievably, Italy then won the 4 X 100 m only a few days later, making Tokyo2021 the most successful Olympics ever for team Italy.
During the previous year, we witnessed fear, death, seclusion and loneliness, so this wonderfully energetic coda in Italy has been much needed. Each and every winner dedicated their successes to those who have suffered and those who have helped. This unexpected rebound has been a magical breath of fresh air for a country (like so many others), brought to its knees, helping everyone to stand, look up and applaud.