stories

  • Blend or Monocultivar ?

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    The olive tree is not only generous in its infinite life (we find olive trees over a thousand years old in Italy and elsewhere) but it represents a cultural heritage, it defines our landscapes and offers us its oil of the highest quality.

    When we talk about the olive tree we must remember that there are many different varieties, each one representative of a territory; they are plants that adapt to the soil and climatic conditions of the place, interpreting it in the best possible way.
    In Italy there are more than five hundred varieties, a very rich heritage that could be expressed in as many types of oil, giving rise to an infinite possibility of uses and combinations.

    The most advanced companies know this and offer the public both mono-varietal oils, also called monocultivars, and blends.
    With blends, many possibilities open up, since it is a combination of oils produced with multiple varieties of olive trees, you can make infinite combinations, one could even speak of tailor-made oils, as for high fashion, a real tailoring of oil itself where the customer can ask the producer for a more or less fruity or more or less intense oil.

    Can we say that the monocultivar is better than the blend?
    Absolutely not, both or neither can be excellent. Quality oil is a product that aims for excellence, the producer follows the entire production process, from the plant to the mill, optimizing it with appropriate packaging. One thing is certain, when you taste a quality product, you never go back, you enter the marvelous world of extra virgin olive oil.

    Desirée Nieves
    Olivicoltore
    Sommelier dell’olio
    Assaggiatore professionale

     

  • Nutraceuticals

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    Extra virgin olive oil is good for health and a true nutraceutical. How many times have we heard it said, but often the consumer fails to understand how oil, by nature associated with the idea of ​​fat, can contribute so much to the well-being of the body. Let’s start by clarifying what the term nutraceutical means, i.e. rich in nutritional and healing properties.

    Extra virgin olive oil is a monounsaturated fat, rich in oleic acid and a substance capable of regulating cell proliferation, increasing blood fluidity and reducing bad cholesterol in favor of the good one. It is rich in fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, necessary for cell differentiation, vitamin D and K, which help in the formation of the bone matrix, and the powerful antioxidant vitamin E that protects against neoplastic diseases.

    Extra virgin olive oil is highly digestible, prevents gastritis and ulcers and promotes intestinal transit. Its lipid composition is similar to that of breast milk and therefore highly recommended in the baby’s diet. Due to its antioxidant action, it is recommended to be taken in adulthood as a prevention against Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and osteoporosis. All of these properties, recognized in the United States by the “Food and Drug Administration”, the administrative body which manages food and drugs, are particularly relevant and allow producers of extra virgin olive oil to be able to label their health properties.

    The recommended daily dose is 50 grams per day, which corresponds to 4 tablespoons.Attention when we talk about extra virgin olive oil with specific beneficial qualities for health, we intend to recommend the oils produced following the criteria of good agricultural practices, i.e. mainly organic, with an early harvest, where the polyphenols are felt through the bitterness and the spiciness. In production, every detail must be followed with care and wisdom.

    It is evident that the consumption of extra virgin olive oil alone is not enough to maintain health, it is necessary to follow a well-considered diet and a healthy lifestyle.

    Desirée Nieves
    Olivicoltore
    Sommelier dell’olio
    Assaggiatore professionale

     

  • The oil mill

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    The oil mill is the place where the transformation of the olive into oil takes place.

    History tells us that since ancient times olives were appreciated not only as a food, but also for oil extraction.  At the end of the seventh century before Christ, the Etruscans produced containers for the exportation of oil, which at the time was used for washing, perfuming and lighting. The Romans later understood its most valuable properties, classifying the oil into different categories based on the level of ripeness of the olives at the time of processing. They realized that freshly picked unripe olives gave excellent oil.

    The extraction systems have remained unchanged for centuries.  Today we have, without getting into boring technicalities, two extraction systems: the traditional or discontinuous one and the modern continuous cycle.

    The traditional system involves grinding by stone, pressing the substance thus obtained and the separating of the oil by centrifuge.

    The modern system replaces the stone with a continuous mechanical system, which without pressing leads directly to separation. This system is gradually replacing the traditional one, as it is possible to work constantly at a controlled temperature. The process is more hygienic because it is hermetically sealed and thus superior quality oils are obtained, which maintain their precious qualities longer.

    Among the enemies of oil we find above all oxygen, light and heat. In the modern extraction system, the oil is protected from all of this. When we bring our olives to the mill we need to know the type of mill and the product we want to obtain.

    Not all oil mills are the same, as not all oils are the same.

    Desirée Nieves
    Olivicoltore
    Sommelier dell’olio
    Assaggiatore professionale

     

  • From the plant to the mill

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    Harvesting plays a fundamental role in the process of obtaining a quality oil.  The olive grower chooses the harvesting method that best suits the needs of his olive grove and the ideal period is when the olive is ripe.

     Why do olive growers who want to obtain the highest quality oils prefer to anticipate the harvest as much as possible?  Because the still unripe olive contains the maximum quantity of polyphenols and therefore bitter and spicy in sufficient quantities to obtain that precious nectar that we can classify as a nutraceutical.

     But what happens when we harvest the olives?  The journey to the oil mill begins.  We must ensure that the fruit arrives healthy, because the smallest wound will initiate an oxidation process which will negatively affect the quality of the oil.  Precisely for this reason, before starting the harvest, nets are placed under the plants.  In this way the olives do not touch the ground, they are not injured, they do not come into contact with other elements that can be found on the ground.  Once the olives are on the nets, they are collected and placed in perforated boxes, so that they are always aired and do not suffer from heating.  Once the boxes have been filled, the journey to the mill begins, where the transformation of the olive into oil will take place.

    Desirée Nieves
    Olivicoltore
    Sommelier dell’olio
    Assaggiatore professionale

     

  • The harvest

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    The olive grower follows, throughout the year, each phase related to the maintenance of the plant, using the most tested agricultural practices. The pruning, the fertilization, the flowering, the fruit set and the development of the final product up to the long awaited moment of the harvest.

    Most people think that the harvest represents more than anything else a joyful celebration, as it was painted in the past.  In reality it is only partially so.  For the producer it represents one of the most delicate moments, because how and when it will take place will reflect heavily on the quality of the oil.

    Each olive grower decides the harvesting method according to the characteristics of his olive grove which can be multiple (altitude and type of soil, quantity of plants, varieties of olives, etc.) and therefore will make the best choice in his opinion: a manual harvest, with  mechanical means or both.

    Once the decision is made, the timing will be crucial.  To obtain quality oils, the perfect moment is when the fruit, that is the olive, has entered veraison, which represents the precise ripening period, that is when it starts to turn purple from green.

    Why not wait for the olive to be more ripe? Because it will inevitably be a lower quality oil. To obtain oils rich in polyphenols (with vegetable, bitter and spicy hints in balance) that leave a pleasant sensation of clean, fresh fruit in the mouth, harvesting must be carried out when the olive is perfectly ripe.

    Obviously, the quality of the oil does not arise only from harvesting, it depends on many other factors such as the storage of the olives, from transport to the mill, from the extraction method, from filtering.  I will talk about these topics in the next stories, follow me.

    Desirée Nieves
    Olivicoltore
    Sommelier dell’olio
    Assaggiatore professionale

  • Extra virgin values

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    In our first story we talked about the massive olive variety in Italy, which has more than 500 different cultivars and almost endless combinations. We also mentioned that not all olive oils are extra virgin, which is the highest possible level of quality that every farmer wishes to reach.

    Acidity and peroxides are the values indicating us when an oil can be considered an official extra virgin, but they can be analysed only in a proper laboratory with the correct equipment to identify these chemical values. Acidity is the parameter quantifying the quantity of fatty acid present in the oil, the lower it is the higher quality is the product.

    According to the European Community and most international standards the acidity can’t go beyond 0,8% in an oil, otherwise it won’t be considered extra virgin anymore. Most high quality olive oils go much lower, ours has an acidity percentage of only 0,2%. Peroxides are indicators for the oxidation of a product, synonim of degradation and aging. The allowed value has its limits at 20%. Our oil only has 6%.

    What is the cause for excessive values of peroxides and Acidity?
    Acidity can be kept low with good agricultural practices and a correct processing in the oil mill, but for the peroxides the secret is in the harvest, stick around for the next story to know the key to a good harvesting!

     

    Desirée Nieves
    Olivicoltore
    Sommelier dell’olio
    Assaggiatore professionale

  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    By

    Italy is a country rich in history and culture, this immense heritage can be found in every inch of the nation, the architectural differences between even the smallest towns are massive when they’re separated only by few kilometers. Nature isn’t lagging behind, it has given us a terrific variety of olives, more than 500, making Italy the country with the highest number of cultivars. Each type of olives is different and the possibilities of blending are endless, making every oil different in its own way.

    Every olive oil is also extra virgin?
    Absolutely not, extra virgin is the highest quality of oil, not the standard. How do we know if it is extra virgin or not? Once the oil has been finished, it needs to be examined in a professional and certified laboratory, where it undergoes a sensorial analysis only after reaching certain chemical parameters. If the oil can pass the sensorial phase then it is certified as an extra virgin olive oil.

    Desirée Nieves
    Olivicoltore
    Sommelier dell’olio
    Assaggiatore professionale