Tenuta Villa Oleandro

About Our Extra Virgin

Hidden in a valley between the Gargano coastline and the Foresta Umbra lie the olive groves where our oil is born.  The majority of our olive trees are of the Ogliarola Garganica variety, some of them centuries old.  Warmed by Mediterranean sunshine and cooled by Adriatic and highland breezes these happy trees produce a deliciously fragrant, first class, Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Here at Villa Oleandro our production varies from about 600 liters and, in exceptional years, up to 2,000 liters.  We do not claim to be organic but we do try to make “happy” oil.  We do not weed kill the grass under our olive trees, as most growers tend to do, we harrow the ground, where it is possible to do so.  Where the trees are on slopes too steep for a tractor, we strim the grass and weeds several times a year.  Spot weed-killer gets rid of brambles and pernicious weeds but this is used only during non-cropping years - olive trees crop every other year.

After a few years of harvesting according to local custom we came to is our considered opinion that the price of oil is such that it is not worth our while spending money to gather in a big harvest.  Now, unlike local growers, we do not lay nets under the trees at the beginning of the harvesting season; these nets catch every olive that falls from the trees, good and bad.  We on the other hand, prefer to lay the olive collection nets under the trees on the day that the olives are actually taken from the trees.  In this way the olives are all the freshest, healthiest fruits of the highest quality.

The olives are harvested using compressor driven “hands” on long poles and heavy duty working nets to catch them as they fall.  The olives are taken straight to the mill and then we bring our freshly milled oil home to Villa Oleandro in 50 liter stainless steel cans.  It is then transferred to stainless steel vats for storage in our cool cave, accessed directly from the villa.  There it sits and rests for a few months while the fine sediment that remains suspended in the oil after the milling process gradually settles to the bottom.

The olives are harvested using compressor driven “hands” on long poles and heavy duty working nets to catch them as they fall.  The olives are taken straight to the mill and then we bring our freshly milled oil home to Villa Oleandro in 50 liter stainless steel cans.  It is then transferred to stainless steel vats for storage in our cool cave, accessed directly from the villa.  There it sits and rests for a few months while the fine sediment that remains suspended in the oil after the milling process gradually settles to the bottom.

Harvest   The olives are "combed" from our happy trees and fall into the nets stretched out below.  Any twigs are removed by hand and olives required for preserving are painstakingly hand selected.  The olives for oil are then poured into hessian sacks and taken to the mill for pressing.

Washing   Blowers remove any remaining leaves and twigs then the olives are conveyed through a washing unit and on to the masher.

Mashing   Reduces the olives to a pulp.

Centrifugation   Separates the oil from water solids.

Grading of Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is oil that has been cold pressed (at less than 27⁰C), mechanically extracted and has not undergone any treatment other than washing, mashing, centrifugation and filtration (not refined).

The Oleic Acidity must be less than 1%, though the best are less than 0.5%.

Tenuta Villa Oleandro

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Single Estate     Oleic Acidity 0.3%     Cold Pressed

 

Perfect for all culinary requirements.

Especially good on salads and delicious as a dip with fresh bread and a sprinkle of salt.

Eventual sedimentary deposits indicate a spontaneous and natural settling of the product.

Stay With Us

If you would like to "live the life" for a week or two, we have a beautiful, spacious and exceedingly well appointed apartment where guests can be comfortable and independent whilst enjoying our place in the sun.

Have a look at:   La Casa Lavanda

Read what our guests say about us:   Guest Reviews