Our olive oil
The oil from Colpernaco Estate
An experience between past and present
In a naturally suited territory, the over 800 olive trees have been producing a full-bodied oil with an intense aroma and a soft and fruity taste for centuries. The olives, mainly of the Moraiolo type and minimally Frantoio and Leccino, are grown with respect for the plant and the territory, without the use of chemicals and pesticides, and they are harvested manually.
Description
Protected Denomination of Origin (“PDO”) extra virgin olive oil produced over the centuries within the Colpernaco Estate in compliance with a philosophy wholly inspired to organic and sustainable principles. The cultivars are mainly Moraiolo with also Leccino and Frantoio in minimal part. The olive trees are located in a unique position in the world, exactly in the middle of the olive belt between Assisi and Spoleto, which has been included by the Food and Agricultural Organization (“FAO”) in the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (“GIAHS”), in recognition of the outstanding landscapes of aesthetic beauty that combine agricultural biodiversity, resilient ecosystems and a valuable cultural heritage.
Provenance
The exposure of the land and its predominantly stony and mineral-rich nature as well as the climate of the area have beneficial influences on the unique quality of the olive oil in this area. The same can be said for the altitude which, being approximately 300 meters above sea level, provides the ideal climatic conditions to obtain the excellent quality of our oil.
Terroir
The qualities of a plant depend, among other factors, on its interaction with the environment, with the type of soil and the microclimate that hosts it. In fact, there is a very close relationship between the genetic characteristics of a plant and those of the environment in which it lives. The strong temperature variations between day and night that occur in the area have a positive influence on the olive trees.
Cultivar
The main variety (cultivar) of Tenuta Colpernaco’s olives is mainly of the Moraiolo type. It is a variety that is believed to be native to Tuscany but typical and widespread also in Umbria, especially south of Perugia, in the Spoleto valley. The fruits are small, just over a gram, but with an oil yield that exceeds 20 percent. The color of the oil is a more or less intense green. Intensely fruity with marked vegetal notes, the oil obtained from the Moraiolo cultivar is decidedly bitter and spicy with a hint of leaf and elegant typical wood notes.
Harvesting
It takes place exclusively by hand and normally at the beginning of October, slightly earlier than the ripening time. This with the precise aim of maximizing the quality of the oil. In fact, overripe olives are more vulnerable to the stress of harvesting and storage that precedes the extraction of the oil in the mill.
Processing cycle
The entire process is inspired by rigorous respect for the natural, organic and biological characteristics of the olive. The entire processing cycle follows the principles of sustainability and respect for the territory. Once the olives have been harvested, they are brought within a few hours to the mill which is located a few hundred meters from the estate.
The processing cycle
The olives, initially transported in special containers, are poured into the hopper from which, with a special conveyor belt, they pass within the range of action of the defoliator which removes leaves and twigs.
The olives are then washed and then dried by draining the water into the washing tank.
Milling is the first real phase of oil extraction. Through a second belt the olives are first crushed and subsequently the obtained paste is suitably crushed by a mechanical hammer crusher.
The next phase is that of kneading the pasta obtained, the purpose of which is to make the micro-drops of oil present in the pasta aggregate through the continuous mixing at a temperature between 20 and 27 ° C, for a time not exceeding 60 minutes.
At the end, the paste passes through a horizontal centrifuge, called decanter, which through the rotating action of the drum separates 3 materials from the paste: virgin olive pomace, which is sent to the pomace factory for transformation into pomace oil and fuel the vegetation water which is used as agricultural fertilizer and the oily must. The latter is sent to a vertical centrifugal separator which, through rotation, separates the oil from the solid residues still present.
The oil thus obtained can then be stored in food grade stainless steel silos with nitrogen system, suitably placed in an air-conditioned room in such a way as to preserve the organoleptic and chemical characteristics of the product just obtained.
After appropriate filtration, the oil can then be sent to the last stage of processing, that is the bottling stage consisting of a blow molding machine, filler with nozzles, double-sided labeling machine and finally by a capping machine.
The olive trees are located in a unique position in the world, exactly in the middle of the olive belt between Assisi and Spoleto, which has been included by the Food and Agricultural Organization (“FAO”) in the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (“GIAHS”), in recognition of the outstanding landscapes of aesthetic beauty that combine agricultural biodiversity, resilient ecosystems and a valuable cultural heritage.
This part of the Umbria territory is in fact the first Italian site to be officially included in the FAO program which aims to highlight unique agricultural systems that rural communities around the world have forged over generations to promote food security, sustainable means of subsistence, resilient ecosystems and a rich biodiversity, in a context of incredible beauty.
The area between Assisi and Spoleto is one of the most important Italian areas for the production of olive oil whose cultivation dates back to the times of the Etruscans.
The territory is made up of a series of stone terraces built over the centuries on the ridges of the mountains and maintained until today according to tradition. Terraces that allow an excellent drainage of the aquifers and that allow the production of a high quality olive oil. All in perfect balance with the local landscape.
