Why Not All Tuscan Olive Oils Taste the Same

Most people probably never think about which olive varieties went into the bottle of olive oil sitting in their kitchen.

After all, we don't usually ask whether a carrot is one variety or another.

Or a potato.

An olive is simply...

an olive.

Or is it?

When I moved to Tuscany over 30 years ago, I immediately noticed that the olive oil tasted different. Better, certainly—but also greener, more bitter, more peppery.

What I didn't understand at first was why.

It wasn't until my Italian became good enough to follow conversations around me that I noticed people talking about Frantoio, Moraiolo and Leccino with the same enthusiasm wine lovers reserve for Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir.

They were talking about olive varieties.

And just like grapes, different olive varieties produce remarkably different flavours.

Some are intensely peppery.

Some are wonderfully elegant.

Some contribute bitterness.

Others softness.

Some are planted because they produce beautiful olive oil.

Others because they help pollinate their neighbours.

Once I began learning about them, I realised something.

Olive oil isn't simply made from olives.

It's made from personalities.

Italy Is Home to More Than 500 Olive Varieties

Wine lovers already know that Italy is extraordinarily rich in native grape varieties. Olives are remarkably similar.

Olives are remarkably similar.

Italy is home to more than 500 recognised olive cultivars.

Some estimates put the number even higher.

Every region has developed its own favourites over centuries.

Liguria has Taggiasca.

Puglia has Coratina.

Sicily has Nocellara del Belice.

Lake Garda has Casaliva.

And here in Tuscany...

four names appear again and again.

Frantoio.

Moraiolo.

Leccino.

Pendolino.

They are the classic quartet of Tuscan olive groves.

Every one contributes something different.

Meet Tuscany's Olive Dream Team

If these four varieties were people, they would each have a completely different personality.

Let's meet them.

Frantoio

The Elegant One

If Tuscany has a flagship olive variety, Frantoio is probably it.

Its name even means ‘olive mill’ in Italian—a clue to just how closely associated this variety has become with Tuscan olive oil.

Walk through an old Tuscan olive grove and there's a good chance many of the trees around you are Frantoio.

The trees grow with an elegant, upright habit.

They're productive without being excessive.

They adapt well to many different soils.

And perhaps most importantly...

they produce beautiful olive oil.

Expect aromas of:

🌿 Freshly cut grass

🍃 Wild herbs

🌰 Green almond

🍏 Green apple

Sometimes even delicate floral notes.

The oils are wonderfully balanced.

They're peppery.

But refined.

Expressive.

Without shouting.

It's one of the reasons Frantoio has spread far beyond Italy.

Today it's grown successfully in Australia, California, Chile and South Africa, wherever producers are searching for elegant, complex olive oils.

If I had to compare Frantoio with a grape variety...

I'd probably choose Sangiovese.

Versatile.

Balanced.

Beautifully expressive of its terroir.

Moraiolo

Small Olive. Big Personality.

If Frantoio is elegance...

Moraiolo is intensity.

The olives themselves are surprisingly small.

The trees are tough.

They thrive on steep, rocky hillsides where many other varieties struggle.

They tolerate drought remarkably well.

And despite their modest appearance, the fruit packs extraordinary concentration.

Moraiolo is famous for producing oils rich in polyphenols. Its high phenolic content helps give Moraiolo oils their characteristic bitterness and pungent, peppery finish.

It's often responsible for that wonderful cough at the back of your throat after tasting a fresh Tuscan olive oil.

Expect aromas of:

🌱 Artichoke

🌿 Wild herbs

🍃 Green leaves

🌰 Fresh walnut

Along with:

✔ pronounced bitterness

✔ long peppery finish

✔ intense green character

So why don't more producers make 100% Moraiolo?

Because sometimes it's simply...

too much.

Many producers prefer using Moraiolo as the backbone of a blend rather than allowing it to dominate.

It brings energy.

Structure.

Longevity.

Without losing balance.

It's remarkably similar to the role Petit Verdot often plays in Bordeaux blends.

Leccino

The Friendly One

Every great team needs someone who brings harmony.

That's Leccino.

The trees are vigorous and productive.

They begin producing olives relatively young.

They're adaptable.

Reliable.

And for these reasons they've become popular far beyond Tuscany.

Leccino oils tend to be softer and rounder.

Instead of intense green aromas, you may notice:

🍎 Ripe apple

🌼 Gentle flowers

🌰 Sweet almond

🌿 Soft herbs

The bitterness is usually gentler.

The pepperiness more restrained.

Many people who are new to olive oil immediately enjoy Leccino because it's so approachable.

In blends it often smooths the sharper edges contributed by varieties like Moraiolo.

Not every player has to score the goals.

Some make everyone else look better.

Pendolino

The Team Player

Pendolino is perhaps the least famous of Tuscany's classic varieties.

Yet it performs one of the most important jobs.

Its name comes from the Italian word pendolo—a pendulum.

Watch the tree on a windy day and you'll immediately understand why.

Its slender branches sway gracefully in the breeze.

For centuries, growers planted Pendolino among other varieties because it flowers abundantly and is an excellent pollinator.

In other words...

it helps everyone else produce olives.

Its own oil is delicate and elegant.

Usually with subtle notes of herbs and almond.

You'll rarely see a bottle labelled 100% Pendolino.

Instead, you'll find it quietly supporting the blend.

Rather like the perfect supporting actor in a film.

You may not remember the name.

But the story wouldn't be the same without it.

Blending Is an Art

One of the biggest surprises for visitors is discovering that many of Tuscany's finest olive oils aren't made from just one variety.

They're blends.

Exactly like many of Tuscany's greatest wines.

One variety contributes elegance.

Another pepperiness.

Another freshness.

Another aromatic complexity.

Sometimes different varieties are harvested and milled together. Other producers keep lots separate and later taste and blend them in different proportions.

Either way, the principle is familiar to anyone who loves wine.

One variety may bring elegance.

Another bitterness and pepperiness.

Another softness.

Another aromatic complexity.

The goal isn't necessarily to showcase one olive variety.

It's to create harmony.

Single-Variety or Blend?

Occasionally you'll come across bottles labelled with just one variety.

These are called monovarietal olive oils.

They're fascinating because they allow you to experience one cultivar without the influence of others.

Think of them as solo performances.

Blends, on the other hand, are orchestras.

Neither approach is better.

They're simply different ways of expressing the same landscape.

Harvest Timing Changes Everything

Even the same olive variety can produce dramatically different oils depending on when it's harvested.

Pick the fruit early, while it's still green, and the oil will generally be more intensely vegetal, bitter and peppery, often with higher levels of phenolic compounds.

Leave the olives to ripen longer and the profile tends to become softer and rounder.

The variety hasn't changed.

Its expression has.

Can You Actually Taste the Difference?

People often ask me whether they should be able to identify Frantoio or Moraiolo in a blind tasting.

The honest answer?

Probably not.

At least not at first.

And that's perfectly normal.

The first things most people notice are much broader.

"This one smells greener."

"This one's softer."

"This one has a longer peppery finish."

Those observations are far more important than memorising variety names.

Over time, those patterns become familiar.

Then, one day, you'll taste an oil and think:

"This reminds me of Moraiolo."

That's when you realise you've quietly trained your palate.

A Personal Note

At Campo Sasso, our own Olio del Campo is also a blend.

Not because we couldn't make a single-variety olive oil.

But because Pierre and I love what happens when different varieties work together.

Pierre often says something that has always stayed with me.

"Great olive oil isn't about finding the best olive variety.

It's about finding the right conversation between them."

I love that thought.

Because that's exactly what a great blend should be.

Not one voice trying to dominate.

Several voices making one another better.

Final Thoughts

One of my favourite moments during olive oil tastings happens when someone tastes two oils side by side and suddenly looks up in surprise.

"These don't taste anything alike."

Exactly.

That's the point.

Olive oil isn't simply olive oil.

Behind every bottle are different olive varieties.

Different climates.

Different harvest dates.

Different producers.

Different equipment.

Different philosophies.

Every one leaves its fingerprint on the final oil.

And once you begin recognising those differences...

you'll never look at an olive tree in quite the same way again.