Olive Oil 101

Extra virgin olive oil, though a seemingly everyday product in many households, is an agricultural product with a single ingredient that, like wine, can have seemingly endless flavor characteristics depending on varietals and how and where the fruit is grown, harvested, and pressed. These variables, modified slightly, can yield astonishing variety, from pale golden, buttery oil to deep green and spicy. In the US, we seldom think of olives or olive oil as a seasonal product, but late October into early November happens to be harvest season for olives throughout the northern hemisphere, and certainly in Italy. Soon our suppliers will be sending bottles of new oil from this year’s pressing. Pungent and rich in color, new oil is, like strawberries, a once yearly treat that every olive oil lover can look forward to. In anticipation of that arrival, here are a few Italian extra virgin oils that are among our favorites here at Di Bruno Bros.:   Tenuta di Capezzana — The hills of the Cappezzana estate in Prato, northwest of Florence, have hosted olive groves and grape vines since 804 AD so it is with good reason that the Contini-Bonacossi family takes the production of these two products so seriously. Well known for their wines pressed from Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, they also press this oil at the mill on their property. The olives are hand-harvested in October and November and then pressed within 24 hours. The blend contains roughly 60 percent Moraiolo olives, 30 percent Frantoio, and then five percent each of Leccino and Pendolino varieties. This blend yields a fruity, complex oil with low acidity, faint bitterness, and a balanced, zesty finish.   Zisola — A golden oil from Sicily, Zisola is the product of the Mazzei family from Tuscany. The family, recognizing the potential of a crumbling estate near Noto took pains to restore it. They eventually rebuilt the architecture and replanted more than 120 acres in grape vines and in Moresca, Ogliarola Messinese, and Nocellara Etnea olives. They trim the trees into vase-shapes to give the fruit even exposure to Mediterranean breezes and sun, and to ensure even ripening. Greenish gold in color, this oil has a grassy apple aroma with layers of fruity flavor, a long finish and a pronounced, sweet pepperiness.   Olio Verde — Named simply and aptly,“green oil,” this big, rectangular bottle from Gianfranco Becchina hails from the estate of Prince Pignatelli at Castelvetrano in Sicily. A much celebrated oil, it has claimed numerous international awards and with one taste it’s easy to understand why. Pressed from a single varietal of hand-picked olive called “Nocellara del Belice,” (which if cured yields green, juicy Castelverano olives) and bottled unfiltered this oil has a dynamic profile that balances pungent bitterness with pepper and fruit characteristics, especially a grassy, tomato vine flavor.   Frescobaldi Laudemio — A deep green oil in a bottle that looks like it should be in a museum gift shop, this Tuscan oil took bronze at the 2014 Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil competition. From the hills of Chianti in central Tuscany this oil, from Frantoio, Moraiolo, and Leccino varietals, is the product of a consortium of growers that adheres to strict guidelines. The result is distinctly grassy and almost artichoke-like, with a distinctive pepper hit at the finish.   Frantoia Novello — Dintinctive, spicy and fruit forward, this oil, by well known producer Barbera is from Sicily, a blend of Biancolilla, Cerasuola and Nocellara del Belice olives. Harvest of each variety occurs in a single month from mid-October to mid-November, and the olives are pressed within 12 hours of harvest. The resulting oil has an intense aroma and a round flavor as well suited to drizzling over a bowl of soup as it is to mixing into a salad dressing.   Di Bruno Sicilian — Thinking about Sicilian foods sharp flavors come to mind— fennel, anchovy, citrus—but our own Sicily-grown olive oil is anything but sharp. Buttery and nutty, this unfiltered oil, produced in Palermo just for Di Bruno Bros. by Manfredi Barbera, is rich and adaptable. With notes of toasted hazelnut and freshly cut grass, this is an mild, delicate olive oil that is easy to like. A great starter oil for newcomers to the specialized world of extra virgin olive oil.   Di Bruno Fruttato — Though it sounds as though it should be fruit-forward, this olive oil, pressed in Umbria, has a bite. Pressed while the olives are chilled, the resulting oil has a slight cloudiness and a pleasant, bitter punch to match. Robust, herbaceous, and with a spicy kick at the finish, this brassy oil is a willing foil and won’t get lost amidst strong flavors like arugula or pecorino.