Olive Oil – Regional Information
Those who engage themselves thoroughly in the world of olive oil will notice its not at all different from the world of wine: there is an extremely broad range to explore until one has tasted his way to his favourite product(s) and the palate is seasoned enough for the fine nuances hidden in each. Abruzzo offers Extra Virgin Olive Oil with the highest quality standards in great taste.
Having enjoyed a high quality, freshly pressed olive oil rather than one which has been bottled for months and barely resembling its original state regarding taste and colour, will surely change many a consumer’s purchasing habits. Whether grassy-green in colour or nutty in taste, fresh olive oil is peerless. In contrast to wine, olive oil does not refine and gain in character upon maturation but rather loses in taste. Freshly pressed olive oil has an intense fruity to fruity-bitter taste and is green in colour which turns to the typical golden tone in the course of the storage period. For some, the taste of fresh olive oil is too intense as they tend to feel a certain scratchiness in their throat when tasting it. The “pizzica in gola” as it is called in Italy is the note which connoisseurs look for and demonstrates quality and freshness in olive oil.
Abruzzo is renowned for its production of high quality olive oil bearing the DOP seal of quality. Once known as a secondary business arm for many families which concentrated their energy with sheep breeding and grain cultivation, olive cultivation has become a very important economical sector which is not to be underestimated. There are three established DOP olive oil types: The Aprutino-Pescarese, which is one of the first olive oil ever to receive the DOP seal of quality and is produced with the Dritta, Leccino or Toccolana olive types. Typical for this oil is the yellowish colour and exquisite fruity aroma and taste. The Aprutino-Pescarese may possess a maximum of 0,6% acidity.
The next olive oil is the Colline Teatine DOP which is produced in the province of Chieti and made up of the Gentile di Chieti and Leccino olive types. In addition, this olive oil can be sub-divided into two specific geographical regions: “vastese” and “frentano”. The vastese is produced in the region of Vasto located in the south easterly part of Chieti with the frentano on the other hand, being produced from the town of Castel Frentano near Poggiofiorito to Tollo in the north then on to Bomba in the south westerly region of Chieti. As the Aprutino-Pescarese, the Colline Teatine DOP also displays a greenish-yellow colour as well as an intense aroma and taste. The maximum level of acidity is also 0,6%. The frentano olive oil tends to lean more towards a green tone with a fruity like grassiness and lightly bitter-edgy taste. The vastese tends to be more on the fruity-arbour side regarding its taste and is lightly bitter.
A further DOP olive oil is the „Pretuziano delle Colline Teramane“. The term Pretuziano refers to the pre-christian tribe of the “Pretuzi” which were located in the region of Teramo. This olive oil is made up of up to 75% Leccino, Frantoio and Dritta (inclusive) olive types with the remaining 25% being made up of less known locally grown types such as Tortiglione, Carbonella or Castiglionese. This olive oil displays a yellow to light green colour with a moderately fruity aroma and taste with bitter-edgy note.
Many large winemakers in Abruzzo also produce Extra Virgin Olive Oil along with the many “oleifici” in the region. Olive oil is available in typical 5 litre stainless-steel canisters which eases transportation and may even be taken aboard airplanes as hand luggage. Once you have returned home it is recommended to keep your oil stored in a cool, dark place in the original canister, removing small portions when needed. Olive oil is suited for cooking at temperature of up to 180ºC with normal vegetable oil able to withstand heat of up to 210ºC.
Harvest and Production
Olives are harvested once a year and the time of harvest is based upon the proportion ripened (black) and not fully ripened (green) olives. The olives in Italy are harvested anywhere between the months of November to February. Olive oil in the Abruzzo region is produced for the most part in the traditional manner: mechanical method with hydraulic presses. Firstly, the olives are separated from the leaves and carefully washed. Afterwards, the milling process in the “Frantoio” begins where a massive vertical standing rounded granite stone crushes the olives until only a pulp remains. The pulp is then spread onto round mats which are stacked in a tower formation in the hydraulic press. During the pressing process, the mixture of olive oil and amniotic fluid are separated in a centrifuge and often filtered as the final step. Olive pulp is neither heated or mixed with additives of any kind during the pressing process. Only oils which are pressed at a maximum temperature of 27ºC are allowed to carry the title of “cold pressed”. The temperature indication relates to the temperature which develops in the oil mats by the mechanical presses.
The combination of quality olive types and traditonal pressing methods used in the production of olive oil in the Abruzzo region make for a truly tasteful experience.
