How do you make a good Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
Autumn in Tuscany also means new, freshly squeezed olive oil. The olive tree is an icon of the Tuscan landscape, along with cypresses, vineyards and hills. Between late October and early November the olive harvest takes place in Tuscany, a very ancient ritual that has been repeated for thousands of years. In this period, in fact, the olive reaches the right maturation (veraison), changing its color from green to black.
The extra virgin olive oil is a fruit juice, pure juice obtained from the simple pressing of the olives, so it seems easy, instead …
We asked the Torciano oil craftsmen to tell us all the fundamentals that make the difference. All the rest is experience and trade secrets!
1. the olives: healthy, firm and at the right degree of ripeness that changes depending on the variety, exposure to the sun, altitude, climate …
2. the harvest: from the plant and never from the ground, the olives must be detached from the branches avoiding traumas which, by damaging them, would activate fermentative processes.
3. transport: the olives must arrive in the fresh mill, within a few hours of harvesting, in perforated containers (not in the bags) that guarantee the ventilation.
4. preparation: the olives must be defoliated and washed thoroughly to remove dust, soil and other external agents that could alter taste and smell.
5. the milling: in addition to the technological aspects (many mills adopt modern systems with continuous cycle), the cleaning of the crusher and the processing in quick times and at low temperatures are decisive.
6. storage: in suitable and well-washed containers stored in rooms without odors, away from light and at a controlled temperature. When the oil is not filtered it will have to be “changed”, thus avoiding that it remains in contact with the sediments.
Tenuta Torciano’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an oil of great quality, especially thanks to the soil where our plants are grown. A soil with a very alkaline pH, together the cold extraction exclusively performed by mechanical machinery, favors the realization of a final product with a very low acidity and a unique flavor.
Extra-virgin also means “first pressing”: to produce one liter of our oil it takes about 5 kg of olives. Olive Oil It also contains antioxidant compounds that protect it from rancidity and if stored correctly, away from light or heat sources, you can keep it unchanged for 12/18 months.
The new Extra Virgin Olive Oil, freshly pressed, is one of the most sought after products by experts and this year the Torciano Extra Virgin Olive Oil will stand out for its quality and flavor, also considering the excellence of the olives harvested.
Suitable for all culinary applications such as simple dressing, scalding and frying. Try it on a slice of cooked bread (here called Bruschetta) or pasta in white; you can have the same delicious result by putting it on your salads or on quality meat (Fiorentina is the best). This oil is perfect also in combination with white meats or fish, and the delicious carpaccio. This blond nectar is in fact the perfect condiment for every kind of food.
L’olio extra vergine di oliva di Tenuta Torciano è un olio di grande qualità proprio per il terreno dove vengono coltivate le nostre piante. Un terreno con un pH molto alcalino che, grazie anche all’estrazione a freddo esclusivamente eseguita con mezzi meccanici, favorisce la realizzazione di un prodotto finale con un livello di acidità molto basso e un sapore unico.
Extra-vergine significa anche “prima pressatura”, tanto che per produrre un litro del nostro olio occorrono circa 5 kg di olive.
Contiene inoltre dei composti antiossidanti che lo proteggono dall’irrancidimento e se conservato correttamente, lontano da luce o fonti di calore, potrete mantenerlo inalterato per 12/18 mesi.
L’Olio Extravergine d’Oliva nuovo, quello appena franto, rappresenta uno dei prodotti più ricercati dagli intenditori e anche quest’anno l’Olio Extra Vergine Torciano si distinguerà per qualità e sapore, vista anche l’eccellenza delle olive raccolte.
Adatto a tutte le applicazioni culinarie quali quella di semplice condimento, la scottatura e la frittura. Provalo su una fetta di pane cotto (qui chiamato Bruschetta) o la pasta in bianco; è possibile avere lo stesso risultato delizioso mettendolo sulle tue insalate o sulla carne di qualità (la Fiorentina è la migliore). Quest’olio è perfetto anche in abbinamento con carni bianche o di pesce, e il delizioso carpaccio. Questo biondo nettare è infatti il condimento perfetto per ogni tipo di cibo.
Buy our 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Gourmet products in the Shop section of our website: www.torciano.com
Author
Luciana Cilemmi
Luciana Cilemmi, deals with Magazine, Style Director and Co-founder of Tenuta Torciano winery and Tenute Giachi wines and the innovative Viviarium Restaurant of Bottega Torciano- Tenuta Torciano & Winery is part of an international reality that is born in Italy by an initiative of Pierluigi Giachi and Luciana Cilemmi, who have worked for years in the Italian wine market , expanding throughout in the United States, managed and controlled by the american company ' Bellavini winery. Luciana Cilemmi was born in San Gimignano to a family of artists specialised in the restoration of medieval buildings. Having completed her technical studies, she now pursues the interests passed on to her by her family, like her passion for artistic objects, in particular works of art created in Tuscany between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. But she reserves her keenest enthusiasm for the historic works completed in San Gimignano between 1100 and 1300. Alongside her love of medieval history, she is fascinated in wines produced from Tuscan vineyards, which, together with saffron and wool, were the most sought-after goods traded by the wealthy noble families of San Gimignano already in medieval times. Luciana Cilemmi left San Gimignano at the age of 21 and embarked on a pilgrimage in search of knowledge and to discover the new winemaking skills and products that were then developing both in Italy and in France. In the meantime she added to her knowledge of wine by attending specialised courses and becoming a master of wine. On returning to Siena, she discovered a wonderful area near Murlo where she fell in love with the tiny, unspoilt village of Montepescini. She bought the estate of Montepescini where, based on the experience she had acquired over the years, she found a particular lie of the land, special climatic conditions and an altitude suited to the creation of great wines. With enormous enthusiasm, doggedness and considerable effort, a reclamation programme was started to renew the terrain which was then used to plant 30 hectares of specialised vines. Sangiovese is the dominant vine, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Years of experimentation and the introduction of new winemaking techniques eventually led to the creation of Luciana di Memmi’s prestigious wines. Some years ago, Luciana Cilemmi succeeded in realising her dream of a lifetime: to return to her home town, San Gimignano. She was destined to buy the historic palace with the medieval tower, which had been owned by the prestigious Useppi family from 1200 to 1927 and had then passed to the noble and historic Chigi family of Siena. The Useppi were a powerful Sienese family who owned several castles. This beautiful medieval building has an elegant and distinctive façade full of Sienese and Pisan architectural influences. If you find yourself in San Gimignano, make sure you visit the Chigi Tower and Palace. Luciana Cilemmi holds regular events in the rooms of the medieval tower, such as the presentation of wines, both from her vineyards and elsewhere, attended by international journalists, experts from the sector and critics. She also organises exhibitions of works of art and paintings, and press conferences on the subject of "Wine in San Gimignano during medieval times”. Visiting the home of Luciana Cilemmi is like re-living an aspect of the past that will not return except through the imagination of those who have believed and continue to believe in this story.
