Next time you’re in Europe, instead of wine tasting, try sampling freshly pressed olive oils. Tours are fascinating, imparting production techniques and how they vary by region.
The Mediterranean diet champions health benefits of olive oil. This garnered popularity for the golden elixir catapulting annual sales abroad to $14 billion.
On a recent visit to Europe, I toured facilities in Castellammare del Golfo, Italy and Provence, France. They were two distinct yet equally rich sensory experiences rooted in tradition. I would recommend both.
Baglio Florio Adamo
This farm is a few miles inland from Sicily’s NW coast. Olive olio is deeply tied to the land and family history. Our guide was Vincenzo, the fifth generation running the vineyard/orchard. He hosts both wine and olive oil tours.
His laidback demeanor mirrors the tranquil setting. Visitors meet at Vincenzo’s ancestral farmhouse, and hop in his well-loved Volvo to tour rugged acres. Throughout the drive, he peppers the conversation with facts. Each tree yields approximately three gallons of oil. They are pruned by hand. Olives are picked in September.
In Sicily the government provides subsidies to olive oil farmers due to the lucrative industry. Because of this, Baglio Florio Adamo planted 2,500 new trees. These thrive alongside massive, knotted counterparts, some reaching triple digits in age.
Walking the groves, Vincenzo explains the importance of clipping male tree branches, allowing female shoots to thrive. Horses graze the land and sweet dogs assist the nearby plowing farmers.
Afterwards, guests return to the tasting room. The host pours a small amount of olive oil pressed in 2023 and 2024 into individual glasses. Vacationers are instructed to take a small sip, then swirl it in their mouth before swallowing. Even untrained palates can detect the distinction.
Olive oil is quite strong drank straight, but this accurately conveys the taste difference.
Plates of rustic bread, homemade cheese, tomatoes and oregano are brought out to finish up the sampling. The whole experience is an immersion in Sicilian culture.
Group and private tours are available.
Moulin Castelas
Les Baux de Provence Valley is home to this olive oil miller. A small production facility sits at the Les Alpilles foothills surrounded by lavender. Of the 1,000 olive varieties worldwide, Moulin Castelas grows four — Salonenque, Aglandau, Grossane, and Verdale.
Different combinations of these result in different flavor notes ranging from grassy, nutty, lightly peppery, and so on. One of their blends uses all four varieties. Another uses two. And there’s a one variety version. The master miller who specializes in extracting oil from olives ensures the quality.
Tours focus on demonstrating modern machinery at the heart of the 111 acre orchard with 30,000 tress. In a nutshell, harvesters gently shake trees, then transport fallen green orbs to the mill. Crushers grind the fruit into paste. Centrifuges separate oil from water and solids. It’s then filtered. This is all done in October and November.
Trees are not immune to pests. Moulin Castelas has battled flies eating the inside of trunks. A natural vs. pesticide solution of spraying clay on the entire tree and leaves eradicated the insects.
After the pressing room education, visitors move to the terrace for tasting. Not only are their traditional oils sampled by the spoonful, but ones infused with garlic and basil. Plus, a special black olive only best seller.
An adjacent gift shops sells the aforementioned condiments, gift sets, soaps, creams, and more. They ship.
Together these two regions in Italy and France highlight how olive oil tasting is more than sampling. It is a cultural journey through landscape, history and centuries of agricultural tradition.
Related Posts:
Culture Trip: How to Find Italian Fashion For Less
Culture Trip: French Food Made Easy
Comments