It's time for the new olive oil!
I think we can collectively agree without much hesitation that 2020 so far has felt like our lives have been paused. But as many farmers have told me, agriculture goes on despite pandemics even if it regularly has its own challenges (particularly terrible are the fires in California right now). Also, global warming continues to be a threat with harvests that are anticipated and unexpected abrupt weather.
But the grape harvest is coming to an end and it's time for the following crop that we love dearly; the olives. As you can see from the photo, the first drops of our olive oil are drizzling out of the press as I write. By the end of the month, it'll be ready for bottling and shipping.
Why we believe in organic
When we can, we purchase organic produce from small farms. Most of the wine we drink happens to come from organic wineries, too. Our olive oil is obviously made from organically cultivated olives.
We think that we all have a responsibility to support family businesses and in this sense, we may even have a small say on global warming. By choosing farmers who reduce the amounts of chemicals polluting our soils and waters, we do our part. Besides, the taste of organic produce is usually much better. You might argue that organic produce is more expensive, and that's for the most part true. But rectifying a problem once it's become one could prove to be even more expensive if not impossible.
Authentic extra virgin olive oil
Both Pierre and I took the certified olive oil taster exam around 10 years ago. We both grew incredibly fond of great olive oils, and have as much fun tasting olive oils as we do tasting wines. In fact, we'll often compare oils from different regions and if you meet us for the first time, you might even think that we're snobby olive oil folks! However, it all comes down to the fact that once you've tasted great olive oil, you can't go back. You simply realize that there's so-so olive oil (EVOO nonetheless) and then there's the real stuff! You can get a few tips about how to choose a real extra virgin olive oil in our previous blog post about it.
Our Olivoglio
Every year we select one of Italy's greatest olive oils made in collaboration with Franco Bardi (right, the photo above). His family-run farm of century-old olive groves is located in Trequanda in the province of Siena and is a unique area for the production of high-quality olive oil in Tuscany.
Our selection is called Olivoglio, meaning "I want olive oil". You're right, the good stuff! Its golden-green, grassy and spicy. A few drops over any dish enhances it tremendously. Nothing you can think of equals the experience of freshly pressed olive oil!
Ours is available in limited quantities and we usually sell out by spring. If you're interested, we can ship out in time for Xmas gifts so you can share it with friends and family. See options here.
