| A trip through a calendar year in the production of olive oil will aid in illustrating our vision of quality. The year for the olive grower begins with trepidation. Nature must be kind for us to harvest our fruit optimally. Unlike in other olive growing regions, where we reside, in the upper hills of central Tuscany, in January the threat of winter frosts is our most persistent worry. Temperatures at or below -5 degrees C for more than 2 days will damage the trees, frustrating their ability to produce healthy fruit later in the year. The fear is persistent through February while we are bottling the previous year's oil. Our oils are bottled completely unfiltered. The solid deposits (largely fruit fibers) are racked off. Not only does racking provide an aesthetically and texturally more pleasing product for the consumer, but the fibers contain water and therefore oxygen which has the potential to start fermentation in the bottle. In the grove, pruning begins - various tree shapes have various characteristics that affect the quality of the fruit. The shape we aim for at Montecastelli™ is "vaso aperto," a traditional and labor intensive form that ensures circulation of air in the center of the tree. This shape both diminishes the opportunity for mold to set in and facilitates the blossom's polination in June. The pruning continues through March, with the aim being to provide strength to the fruit (rather than encouraging green growth) by eliminating excessive branches and leaves. Thinning the leaves further diminishes the risk that fungus might take hold. In April fertilization begins, in order to give the green a push after pruning. Fertilization is done with 100% biological and organic manure which is worked around each tree by hand. Fungus treatments are also applied - a classic copper sulfate blend known as "Bordeaux mixture." The trees are individually washed with a potassium based solution that dissolves insect secretion making it difficult for the tignola and the daccus olive fly to stick to the trees.   Potassium in the soil encourages green growth, larger leaves and such stronger activity in the whole tree providing more juice to potential budding. Fertilization must be complete before blossoming in May, and it is critical that while the fruit sets in June, the tree remains untouched. Delicacy and hands-off work are all that may be accomplished during fruit setting. During July and August, the trees may need irrigation and are monitored for damage by drought. Further disease control is done with olive fly traps. Most producers use the trap solely as a monitor, but at Montecastelli™, we use the traps to fight flies - no chemical insecticides are used. A pheromone inside the trap attracts the daccus fly which initially attack only those trees with the ripest olive flesh - unripe olives are too hard for the fly to burrow through.  
Through the warm summer months, watering must be kept up in order to prevent the fruit on the trees from shriveling up and losing quality. Watering maintains healthiness and freshness in the fruit. October sees some more pruning on the inside of the tree in order to ensure ease of harvest which takes place in November. Although arduous, the harvest is perhaps our favorite time of the olive growing year - friends and family visit from around the world to help. The trees are raked by hand using a version of a hand-fork called a "manino." They are raked gently to avoid bruising the fruit. Silk parachutes are spread around the base of each tree and the olives descend (without the aid of parachute!) into its billows.  
From here, the fruit goes directly into plastic fruit crates and is not handled again until they get to the mill. It must be transported and milled within 24 hours to prevent the olives from beginning to oxidize as they are exposed to the air. Once at the mill, the olives are deleaved to avoid bitter flavors from chlorophyll in the leaves. The olives are then processed in a Rapanelli horizontal decanter. The olives are washed in water and then crushed by knives - not by a hammer - which generates less heat during crushing. Excess heat at this stage changes the chemical composition of the olive and results in unwanted flavor characteristics in the finished oil. After crushing, a paste is worked in horizontal stainless steel vats that avoid excessive exposure to the air. The temperature is regulated to 22-25 degrees C. From there the paste passes inside the conical decanter, where oil is spun out, water and fibers divided by specific weight.  
The oil then goes through a second centrifuge - this one vertical - which extracts additional water from the oil. The oil is now ready and minimum 99% pure. It will rest in airtight stainless steel containers until February. 
And so the life of an agricultural worker reurns to step one, in fear of frost but welcoming nature's unpredictability, aware that in the end, the best possible product will be made. |
