Olio d’Oliva (500ml)

Description

Dancing Ewe Extra Virgin Olive Oil

We start with what are arguably the best olive trees for olive oil production. The hillsides of the Maremma region of Tuscany have always produced some of the finest olive oil in the world.

The process of harvesting these olives respects the traditions of the region, and of course respects the hundred-year-old olive trees. The equipment we use is an almost-antique called a rastrello in our area, but I’m sure has a million regional names, like everything in Italy! This is a telescoping arm that gently knocks the olives from individual branches — unlike newer systems which, while more efficient, can be very hard on the tree. We then make sure the harvested olives arrive at the frantoio (the olive mill) within 12–18 hours so that the frantoio mills the olives in a timely manner. This is hands-down the most important step — harvest the olives and get them to the mill as fast as you can, before they have the opportunity to change their chemical make-up.

And then there are a handful of other important steps… Like making sure the frantoio is not adding heat to the extraction process. Making sure the frantoio uses clean practices, to avoid rancidity contamination between extractions. Then storing and bottling, selecting the right type of container. All of these steps are critical in the production of a top-notch extra virgin olive oil. There are no shortcuts, and we always keep quality as our ultimate focus.