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)

Green EVOO
October 25, 2016 In Health

Your Winter Health Package

Winter is very personal.  Unfortunately most of us feel the seasonal nip but it’s what we do to combat the colds, aches and pains that define our enjoyment of this wonderful time of the year. When we feel run down, it’s super easy to reach for the most obvious corrective measure by way of medicinal supplements and of course in many cases, this is the fastest cure!  Too often however, you may find this is a quick fix but then the bugs return and you just can’t seem to shake them off.

 

This year you owe it to yourself to enter the winter season in as good shape as possible and taking preventative action via your diet is the least invasive way to do this.  Choosing organic, seasonal foods that are at the peak of their flavour and goodness will really reward you, there’s just so little to gain from a November tomato so strike it off your shopping list.

 

Something you may not have thought about as a seasonal food is Extra Virgin Olive Oil however and this issue of The Cold Press pays homage to the Olive Harvest, which in Italy begins around the middle of October depending on the cultivar and region.  The very best, freshly pressed Olive Oil is spicy, green and wildly uplifting.  It is packed full of antioxidants in a way you just wouldn’t believe, so a daily dose as part of your diet is a brilliant (and enjoyable) way to keep the winter bugs at bay.  It is also great for your skin, hair and nails that tend to suffer from winter dullness.

 

As Olive Oil is a freshly pressed juice, it oxidises over time and the goodness and flavour drops back.  It’s a slow journey as it has a shelf-life of 18 months but this is why you need to get your hands on the new season oil as quickly as possible when it is packed full of it’s most decisive characteristics.  Shipping directly from the mill in December, we offer you a selection of compilation boxes or individual frantoi boxes (from one specific producer/region/cultivar).  The offer is now open and will close on 2nd December 2016.  Blink and you miss it.  That’s truly seasonal.

Click here to browse our 2016 offer.