Italian Olive Oil
Olive trees are an iconic and integral part of the Italian landscape, and while Italy is the second largest producer of olive oil after Spain, no other country is more highly associated with olive oil, from the romantic images of olive groves in Tuscany, to the oil’s dominant influence in nearly every Italian recipe, from pasta, fish and vegetables to cake.
OLIVE OIL: ITALY’S FAMILY TRADITION
Throughout the highly diversified climates of Italy’s different regions, there are an estimated 2.5 million acres devoted solely to olive trees. Many of these olives are truly ancient specimens, some being several hundred years old.
Being the second largest producer worldwide, Italy contributes roughly 20% of the total world production. While the Southern regions of Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata and Sicily produce the largest quantities of olive oil in the country, other unique, premium quality extra virgin olive oils are produced all over Italy, not only in the well-known regions of Tuscany and Umbria, but also in the lesser-recognized regions of Lazio, Molise and Trentino Alto Adige. In fact, olive oil is produced in every single region of Italy except the northernmost Alpine region of Valle D’Asota.
With over 500 varieties of olives on record, no other country offers such a wide range of olive oils with diverse flavor profiles than Italy. The uniqueness of Italian olive oil is that each region cultivates the olives very specific to its land. Notable regional varieties include Nocellara from Sicily, Coratina and Peranzana from Puglia, Moraiolo and Frantoio from Tuscany, and Itrana from Lazio.
Premium Italian extra virgin olive oil is almost exclusively produced by family-owned estate operations who often own their own frantoio (crushing mill) and oversee every step of the process, from tree to bottle. It is these small dedicated producers who account for much of Italian olive oil’s excellence.
While olive oil quality in Italy has come under the radar recently in the press, due to the importing and repacking of often lower-quality olive oil from other countries to meet the world demand for “Italian” olive oil, it is all the more important to acknowledge the hard-working, smaller estate producers whose hearts and livelihoods are dedicated to producing some of the most honest, best Italian extra virgin olive oil in the world.
Our on-line olive oil shop offers the opportunity to buy an extensive selection of exceptional oils personally-selected by our management team from award-winning producers Frantoio Franci, Frantoio Pruneti, Gradassi, Viola, Agraria Riva del Garda and Quattrociocchi and include smaller, lesser-known high-quality brands such as Olio Guglielmi, Sciroppo, Fratelli Masturzo and Le Masciare.
Toscana, or Tuscany in English, is considered the classic olive oil region of Italy by many. The oils of Lucca and the Chianti regions of Toscana are best known.
The oils produced in the area around Lucca, near the coast, tend to be yellow, light and fluid. In the Chianti region, near Siena in the heart of Toscana, the oils tend to be more green, and spicy with hints of artichoke and pepper. Further south in the area around Montalcino, the oils tend to be deeper colors, more rustic, and more intense flavors.
CORDELLA
The olives are all hand picked and sent immediately to the mill. They are exclusively cold pressed thanks to stone grindstone to obtain oil with a very low acid content and better conservation qualities.
Available in .250, .500 – 2015 Vintage
ASSUNTO/BELLARIA – Olio Extravergine d’Oliva
Production Area: Estate’s own olive groves, at approximately 500 meters above sea level.
Olive Varieties: Moraiolo, Leccino, Frantoio, Olivastra, Correggiolo.
Production Technique: The olives are hand harvested and pressed at the “frantoio” daily. The olive oil extraction process is carried out using the traditional Tuscan method.
Organoleptic Characteristics:
Color: Green with golden yellow hues and chromatic variations.
Perfume: Fruity with hints of almond, artichoke, ripe fruits and green leafs.
Taste: reasonably spicy and lightly bitter with slight grassy hints.
Available in .250, .500 Lt. – 2015 Vintage
FORNACELLE -Olio Extravergine d’Oliva
The Olive Grove
The soil: Middle hard clayey soil with stony structure.
Training system: Vaso policonico .
Olive harvest: Olives are selected by hand during the harvest in November.
The Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive varieties: Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino, Pendolino.
Olive pressing: Olives are processed within 24 hours at disc system oil-mill in Castagneto Carducci, with decanter extraction and natural decantation.
Acidity: 0.2% – 0.3%
Organoleptical evaluation
Color: gold yellow with green reflexes
VIGNACCI
2016 vintage available in November
Obtained from daily squeezing of our olives Leccino, Moraiolo, Canino and mainly Frantoio, it is produced in our olive-grove in Casteldelpiano. It is extracted through a cold process, then put in bottles after its natural decantation. It has a “green leaves” colour with golden reflection, smell like fruits, a vigorous and harmonious taste, moderately bitter and spicy.
Particulary suitable as dressing or to be used raw-.
Bottiglia 0,500 Lt; Bottiglia 0,750 Lt
Lattina 3 Lt; Lattina 5 Lt
Scent: intense and fruity.
Taste: it combines a delicate softness perception with a powerful final.
Food Matches
Vegetable soups like Tuscan Ribollita, salads and all kind of dishes of fish and meat.
