Italian Olive Oils

In the Mediterranean, vines and olive trees have always grown side by side, making olive oil as integral to the Italian culture as wine. Olive oil is inescapable in Italian cooking; from pasta dishes, to vegetables, to meat or fish, it's hard to find a recipe that doesn't include a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Drizzle it on bread, use it on a salad, enhance steamed vegetables, or use it to cook with. Like wine, olive oil is made with different varieties of olives, each of them with its own unique character, flavor and aroma.

Of the countless varieties made throughout Italy, those from Tuscany (especially Lucca and Chianti) are the most coveted. Here, three main varieties are used Frantonio, known for its fruity flavor; Moraiolo, famed for its spicy notes; and Leccino, a rich and deeply flavorful olive. For fear of frosts, the olives are often harvested in early autumn, before they're fully ripened. The premature harvest leads to Tuscan olive oils' distinguishing lime-green color, peppery bite and raw, herbal freshness.

Yet Tuscany is not the only region that lays a strong claim on olive oil. Throughout the country, olive-growing regions have been designated with a DOP label. Much like the DOC system in place for wines, olive oil classification identifies those regions that, because of tradition or terroir, produce excellent olive oils.

In northern Italy, Friuli-Venezia grows olives in its northeastern hills, Groves of olive trees line the Adige River and cluster near the Lago di Guarda, as well as in Lago d´Iseo. In central Italy, the Liguria region boasts intense plantings of Taggiasca and Opalino olive trees, which make sweet, unobtrusive oils that complement local seafood. Umbria grows the varieties Frantoio, Leccino, Moraiolo, and Agogia and Raggiola, whose full-bodied oils are known for their aromas of artchoke, green tomatoes, pepper and fruit. Nearby in the rural, little-visited Abruzzo, valleys like Valli del Tordino e del Vomano and Valle del Tavo are dotted with olive trees. In the south, Puglia makes an abundance of fresh and fruity oils from varieties like Coratina, Provenzale and Ogliarola. This is Italy's top olive-oil-producing area, although much of the production is mass-produced. Sicilia, thanks to its varied terrain, produces a fabulous mix of well-rounded, fruity oils from varieties like Belice, Biancolilla, Moresca, Cerasuola, Nocellara, and Tonda Iblea.

No matter what the variety, the elaboration process is similar across Italy. Olives are picked (often manually) in the fall, beginning in October and continuing into January. A day or two after harvest, olives are pressed using a cold pressing technique (maximum temperatures of 60ºF). The first pressing produces the highest quality grade, extra virgin olive oil, which has an acidity of less than 1 percent. Oils with a higher acidity level are marked simply virgin olive oil. Lesser grades include fine virgin oil, superfine oil, and pure olive oil. A good oil will last up to two years if stored in a cool, dark place. Sunlight will cut the life of the oil in half. It’s hard to tell from sight alone how good an olive oil is. High-quality oils could be either bright green or a pale greenish-yellow, depending on the variety and how ripe the olives were (very ripe olives produce yellow oils). It could be cloudy (unfiltered), or crystal clear. It could be very thick or more watery, again depending on the variety. Your taste buds are the best judge.

Top Italian olive oil makers include many winemakers, like Antinori, Avignonesi, Castello di Ama, Petra and Badia a Coltibuono.

Great olive oils to look out for are: Frantoio Franci, Titone DOP, Villa Zottopera DOP, Ferento, Gianfranco Becchina, Marfuga L'affiorante, Olio Beato, Vila Cappelli, Vittorio Cassini Classico, Alex Nember, Stefano Bartoli, Armando Manni, Pianogrillo and Cetrone Fruttato Intenso.

Further Reading:

• Italian Olive Oil, overview on Wikipedia
• Olive Oil Source, good site with lots of topical info.

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