We often hear the term olio nuovo, or new olive oil, but it is not always clear what this means.
It is commonly used to refer newer oil, to oil that is under a year old.
A bottle of oil from the November 2016 harvest would therefore be considered “olio nuovo” until the arrival of the oil from the October to November harvest the following year.
FIRST PRESSED OIL
Differently from OLIO NUOVO described above, and what many consider to be even more valuable, is the oil from the first pressing of the season.
The oil from the first pressing is from the first olives that ripen.
During the harvest period, the olives lose a little of the peppery, herbaceous flavour that characterises the first olives that are pressed.
This is the reason that the ‘Olio Nuovo’, from those first olives harvested, is so sought after. It is a primizia (the first fruit of the season), there is less of it and it boasts a fresher flavour and a pepperiness that lingers a little longer.
PRIME GOCCE
Prime Gocce is the name of the oil produced from the first fruit that ripens in Vignamaggio’s olive groves and is characterised by an intense green colour, a distinct fragrance with notes of fresh olive and a flavour that is fruity and robust.
The Prime Gocce oil will be on our shelves and on those of the Casa dell’Olio shop in Piazza Matteotti in Greve in Chianti from the 30th of October.
THE QUALITY
Vignamaggio’s olive oil is much more than an ordinary condiment: it is a quality product rich in polyphenols, tocopherols and oleic acid.
Polyphenols are the natural antioxidants that affect the longevity of an olive oil. They play an important role in a healthy diet and mop up free radicals in the body.
Tocopherols are the vitamin E component of the oil. They are important in protecting cells from oxidative damage and in so doing, slow down the aging process.
Vignamaggio’s olive oil has been in Conversion to Organic since 2015 and the 2018 harvest will be the first to carry the Certified Organic label.
THE HARD WORK
The olive harvest is strenuous hard work, done manually with electric rakes that shake the branches until the olives fall onto nets laid out between the olive trees on the ground below.
If you want to see who works behind the scenes in the production of our oil, follow our Instagram stories or come and visit us.
ORDERS
Would you like to order and have the 2017 olio nuovo delivered to your home?
From 6 November, it will be available at our online shop. If you would prefer to place an order personally, from 30 October you can send an email to degustazioni@vignamaggio.com
Otherwise, if you would like to taste the oil at the estate, as an excuse for a weekend break in the heart of Tuscany, you can find us here.