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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Mille from Frantoi Cutrera
August 29, 2020 In EVOO

The Magic of Mille

The Cutrera family, based in the South East of Sicily produce sublime, decisive, elegant Extra Virgin Olive Oils from indigenous cultivars that truly taste of their origin.  We have selected four of these that we feel are exceptional for different reasons and you can find out more about them on our dedicated section of our website: http://www.frantoi.org/cutrera/

Today however, I wanted to tell you specifically about Mille.   Perhaps this EVOO is the most extraordinary you will ever taste.  It comes from wild olive trees (olivastro selvatico) found at an altitude of 450m above sea level and is highly complex and aromatic featuring wild chicory, dandelion leaf, wild herbs and green almonds.  It is elegant and extremely fine.  With the highest possible polyphenol content of 1,000mg/kg it is also impressively good for you (it is even said to improve fertility).  You need very little of this oil to go a long way – a couple of drops over a fine soup, enjoyed with bread or crudités or even sipped as a nectar (you won’t believe the impact on your hair and nails).

We are eagerly awaiting the 2020 harvest.  If you would like to be notified when it’s possible to place an order please sign up to our newsletter