Delicacies

Balduccio is made up of around 9,000 organically cultivated olive trees, all located on the picturesque Montalbano hills between Florence and Montecatini Terme, and an oil mill that is so popular with local farmers that the most popular dates for pressing between 15 October and 15 November have been fully booked on the waiting list since the summer. This is because Balduccio not only presses its own olives, but also makes its modern technology available to other olive producers. Over the last 20 years, Balduccio has gained recognition and respect as an oil mill among local producers. It is not only the customers who are impressed by the quality. The ambition to produce top-quality oils is also increasingly inspiring other olive growers.

"We were born into a family full of beauty." CRISTINA CROTTI

In the Conca d'Oro, the golden amphitheatre of Panzano, around 400 olive trees per hectare grow alongside the famous Sangiovese vines. Giovanni Manetti, the mastermind behind the legendary Flaccianello della Pieve and president of the Chianti Classico Consortium, applies the same precision to his olive oil as he does to his wines. The cuvée of 80% Correggiolo and 20% Moraiolo is harvested by hand and gently pressed on the same day – freshness and fruitiness are thus fully preserved. Fontodi has not used herbicides or pesticides since it was founded and has been certified organic since 2008.

The same hills, the same family, the same philosophy – what applies to the wine also applies to the oil. Around a thousand olive trees grow on the slopes of Monti in Chianti, mainly Correggiolo with some Moraiolo in between, in mixed cultivation with fruit trees according to old tradition. Marco Ricasoli Firidolfi harvests by hand before the olives are fully ripe – lower yields, but acidity levels below 0.2% and a wealth of polyphenols. The olives are pressed on the day of harvest, under nitrogen, to prevent any oxidation.

The Giachis think in music. Where others soberly number their oils, they compose: Adagio – the slow, gentle tempo. A name that is the programme. This deliberately mild oil comes from the hills of Mercatale Val di Pesa, in the centre of the Florentine Chianti Classico. Frantoio and Moraiolo, complemented by Leccino and Pendolino, result in a blend that does not want to overwhelm, but rather accompany.

After the Adagio comes the Allegretto – a touch livelier, a touch more gripping. The Giachis have composed this oil for the kitchen: robust enough to withstand heat, full of character to add depth to dishes. The same Tuscan varieties from the hills of Mercatale Val di Pesa – Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino – are blended here in such a way that they do not lose their flavours when roasted and braised, but rather develop them. The low acidity ensures excellent digestibility, while the fuller body ensures presence on the palate.

Giovanni plus Olio equals Giolio – the name reveals what it's all about: the family's oil, its daily companion, its all-rounder. Not a specialist for one task, but a generalist for all. The cuvée combines the best of the Tuscan varieties: Frantoio as the backbone, Moraiolo for structure, plus Pendolino, Leccino and Maurino as subtle nuances. The result works just as well raw on a salad as it does in a hot pan – versatile without being arbitrary.

Long before Andrea Cortonesi bottled his first Brunello, his family cultivated the olive groves around Castelnuovo dell'Abate. The cultivation of olives is part of the very fabric of life here – rooted in the same soil from which his wines come. Classic Tuscan varieties: Frantoio brings structure and flavour, Moraiolo the dark fruit and depth, Leccino the smoothness on the finish. The grapes are harvested by hand in November when the fruit is still firmly attached to the branch – cold pressing immediately afterwards, without delay.

It had disappeared for many years, but customers never forgot it: the Agretto di Montevertine, that special vinegar that the great protagonists of Italian cuisine loved. The longing remained, and a few years ago Martino Manetti found the right solution – the Acetaia Castelli in Rio Saliceto, a small village between Reggio Emilia and Modena, where the tradition of Aceto Balsamico is at home. The new Agretto has nothing in common with the old one, apart from the name and the philosophy. It is made from cooked must of Sangiovese grapes from the Montevertine vineyards and is a deep dark red colour instead of the amber yellow of its predecessor. The flavour retains the characteristics of a sweet and sour condiment, but with acidity setting the tone – clear, present, never overpowering. A balsamic condimento from Radda in Chianti, matured in Emilia-Romagna, characterised by a spirit of uncompromising quality: just as you would expect from Montevertine. SUPERIORE.DE

A small part of the olive groves around Podere Albereto is reserved exclusively for the production of this very special oil, which is only bottled in very limited quantities (5,000 bottles). The colour of Albereto extra virgin olive oil is an intense emerald green. It has an intense, herbaceous fragrance with notes of asparagus and aromatic herbs such as tarragon and sage. The flavour is intense and strong with a characteristic aftertaste reminiscent of the vegetables perceived by the nose. SUPERIORE.DE

What Felsina has achieved with Sangiovese in Chianti Classico has been transferred to the olive grove since 2002: uncompromising quality, respect for the terroir, traceability from the harvest to the bottle. The idea behind this has a famous name: "Olio secondo Veronelli", named after Luigi Veronelli, the legendary wine critic and close friend of the estate, who elevated the connection between oil and origin to a philosophy. The olive groves extend over three areas of the 400-hectare estate: Fèlsina, Pagliarese and Boschi – each with its own microclimate and soils. Four varieties grow here: Leccino, Pendolino, Moraiolo and Raggiolo (also known as Correggiolo in Chianti). All four are combined for the cuvée – a reflection of the territory in an extra virgin. The olives are harvested by hand in October and November, when they are still green to purple and their polyphenol content is at its highest. They are pitted in the company's own mill – this method is called "denocciolato" and only the flesh is pressed, not the bitter stone. The result is an oil of remarkable purity.

The pure varietal selection from Fontodi. While the classic house olive oil convinces as a cuvée, the Correggiolo shows the old Tuscan variety in its purest form. Hand-picked, pressed on the day of harvest, biodynamic cultivation: the philosophy remains the same, but the result is more focussed. Correggiolo is considered one of the most characterful olive varieties in Tuscany: strong, flavourful, with rough edges.

While other olive growers have long since harvested, the Giachis wait. Only in December, when the fruit has reached full ripeness, does the harvest begin – by hand, olive by olive. This patience has a name: Dolciolio, the mild oil, dolce and olio merged into one word like the softness in the flavour itself. The late harvest changes everything. Instead of a green sharpness, a golden softness unfolds, allowing the oil to glide over the tongue like liquid velvet.

Primo is the name of the first – and that is exactly what this oil is: the first expression of the vintage, pressed from olives that have yet to reach full maturity. Where the Dolciolio focuses on December mildness, the Primolio chooses the other path: November harvest, green fruit, character instead of favour. The cuvée gives the Moraiolo the lead – more than half of the blend comes from this robust variety, which gives the oil its backbone. Frantoio contributes elegance, Leccino, Pendolino and Maurino the fine nuances. The resulting products have long since found their place on the tables of top restaurants in Florence.

"We were born into a family full of beauty." CRISTINA CROTTI

The olive oil from the legendary Tenuta San Guido is in no way inferior to the world-famous wines, reflecting the multi-layered soul of the winery. The Leccino, Moraiolo, Pendolino and Frantoio varieties thrive on around 110 hectares of olive groves in Bolgheri near Livorno. On the demanding soil, the trees are not arranged in the traditional way, but grow in rows between fields and vineyards, as is typical of Tuscan agriculture.

The Moraiolo is the soul of Chianti oil. A variety with compact growth and modest vigour, it produces roundish olives with a strikingly large stone – and therefore benefits particularly from pit removal. Because without the bitter stone, the pure flesh of the fruit comes into its own, and in the Moraiolo this is of remarkable complexity. Felsina's oldest trees have been standing since the 1960s. The variety ripens medium-early, earlier than the Correggiolo, and is harvested when the polyphenol content is at its peak. The olives reach the mill within four hours, are pitted (denocciolato) and pressed at 25 degrees. The oil is stored under nitrogen, vacuum bottled only when ordered.

The Raggiolo – called Correggiolo in Tuscany – is one of the oldest and most widespread olive varieties in the region. A variety with character, it bears small, slightly asymmetrical fruit and ripens late, making harvest time a test of patience. Felsina's oldest trees have been standing since the 1960s, while the youngest were planted in the 1980s – all in the three groves of Fèlsina, Pagliarese and Boschi, which together form the estate's terroir mosaic. Like all Felsina monocultivar oils, the Correggiolo is harvested separately when the variety has reached its optimum ripeness. Within four hours, the olives are taken to the in-house mill, pitted and pressed from the pulp only (denocciolato) – at a constant 25 degrees. The oil is then stored under exclusion of air in stainless steel tanks and is only vacuum-bottled when ordered: it couldn't be fresher.

The Pendolino is the "servant" among the olive varieties – and at the same time the indispensable one. It owes its name to its characteristically drooping branches, but its importance lies in its role as a pollinator: the flowers produce enormous quantities of pollen and thus enable the other varieties to bear fruit. In many groves, the Pendolino is a silent helper whose own oil is hardly ever bottled. At Felsina it is allowed to shine. The trees are in the Poderi Valli (planted in 1986) and Arcidosso (2005), cold-resistant and early-maturing. It is the first variety to be harvested, it is de-seeded (denocciolato) and pressed at 25 degrees.

If the Correggiolo epitomises the Tuscan elemental force, the Leccino is its elegant sister. A variety that is widespread throughout Italy – robust, cold-resistant, reliable in yield and early ripening. But at Felsina, where it has been growing in the groves of Fèlsina, Pagliarese and Boschi since the 1960s, it shows its finest face: an oil of medium intensity that emphasises balance over strength. The olives are harvested by hand earlier than the other varieties, when they are just beginning to ripen. They are pitted within four hours and pressed at 25 degrees centigrade – only the pulp, no stone (denocciolato). The oil rests under nitrogen in stainless steel and is only vacuum-packed when ordered.

Around the historic vineyards of Montevertine, at an altitude of 380 to 420 metres between north-east and south, there are around a thousand olive trees – no more, no less. From their fruit, an extremely limited quantity of olive oil is produced, which is consistently one of the best in Tuscany: the same philosophy as with the wines, the same perfectionism, the same uncompromising approach. The Correggiolo, Moraiolo and Leccino varieties are harvested by hand and cold-pressed using the traditional Tuscan method – "Reventina" style, as has been done for generations in these hills. Extraction is carried out continuously by centrifugation and filtration through cotton filters.