Most people move to Spain for the sun and the wine, but me, I’m here for the olive oil.
I know olive oil comes up in just about all my posts but that’s because it’s just such great stuff. Everything I hear or read about it confirms that. It is liquid gold, pure health. Olive oil rules.
My passion is clearly shared by olive oil producers Alvaro and Angels who are living the dream with their new baby in the rolling hills of Andalusia, where they produce a very limited edition organic olive oil on their farm of El Herrerillo. When I visited, the first rains had just fallen and it was harvest time, and despite being extremely busy, they took the time to show us around and sit and sample a variety of amazing oils. Yes, we were drinking olive oil!
Alvaro is a mine of information about all things oleic and I had a few surprises. The first was that colour is no indication of quality. I’ve always assumed the greener the better but apparently not. So much so, olive oil sampling glasses are cobalt blue which makes it impossible to see the colour.
Perhaps more importantly I learnt that there are only two forms of olive oil: Virgin and Extra Virgin. Everything else on the shelves is totally refined through an industrial process that is quite shocking – well, shocking in that it’s being sold as olive oil. This refined oil accounts for around 70% of what is sold around the world. Bad quality oxidized olive oil is mixed with other oils and then put through a chemical treatment to remove the horrible taste. Don’t buy it!
Extra virgin is the higher quality oil. I mistakenly thought virgin extra was the oil extracted from the first press but it’s not. It’s literally a classification of quality of an oil produced under very controlled conditions and temperature. However don’t be fooled by label alone. Even the best oils degrade over time and you should always buy the freshest possible – and that means up to 18 months/ 2 years maximum. And, as with everything, there’s a lot of cheating.
So how can tell if yours is any good or even the real thing? Pour a little into a clean glass, warm the glass with one hand and cover it with the other. Swirl it around, then inhale deeply. It should smell of fresh grass, fresh and fruity. Sip it and let it swirl around your mouth. It should be pleasantly bitter and catch you in the throat. The extent of bitterness will depend on the variety of olive but all fresh olive all will be somewhat bitter. That’s a good sign.
The oil produced at El Herrerillo is not only extra virgin but also organically grown and while colour is no indication of quality, I was entranced by the colour of what Alvaro had brought back from the press the night before.He told us it would change with time but this almost unreal lime green blew me away. And the flavour….wow.
So, warmed by the autumn sun and drunk on this freshly pressed nectar, I hastily put in my order for a whopping 10 litres. And it’s all got to be consumed before next years harvest. Mmmmm.
For more info or to place an order contact El Herrerillo directly. Don’t wait too long. Supplies won’t last.
Gidon Minkoff says
Cant wait to get back home to this years harvest of olive oil.
Diana Baird says
Thanks for a very informative article. Alas, we have no olive groves in these parts… but lucky you! Nevertheless, I will give my own product the inspection, as instructed.
Marianne S says
Oh. I look forward to aceitunas, olive oil, cava, – and all the lovely vegetables and the fruit. And to meet you and Gidon again. Olav also. Hugs
Gidon Minkoff says
were back home, and its time to open that bottle.