Planeta Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva

Notes - The new Planeta olive-press for the production of Extra Virgin Olive Oil was built in 2003 among the family-owned olive groves which face the sea at Caparrina estate, near Menfi. The surface area of the olive groves is 75 hectares (35 already in full production and the other 40 will begin to produce their first olives next year). The varieties grown are Cerasuola, Biancolilla and Nocellara. The latter, which represents 60% of the total, is by far one of the most interesting of the island. The Nocellara olives are large in size and the oil they produce has a very typical and recognisable organoleptic characteristic. Cerasuola and Biancolilla complete and refine the characteristics of the main variety. The olives are harvested by hand while still green, about fifteen days ahead of the normal harvest, which reduces yield but favours the organoleptic characteristics of the oil. They are then cold-pressed in the modern plant in the centre of the olive grove, thus almost eliminating the pause between harvest and production in order to enhance the characteristics of the olives and the oil. The olive press, imported from Tuscany, has a capacity of about 5 quintals of olives per hour. The pressing has two stages; the olives are first washed very gently with water and separated from any leaves, then they are crushed and reduced to a paste by a hammer-operated press and kneaded in machines which allow the homogenization of the paste at cool temperatures. The next and final stage of the operation is when the paste is left to settle and the oil is separated into its most pure form from the olive-residue. The oil is now ready, but unlike many other oils, Planeta’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is not centrifuged before bottling, retaining all of the natural aromatic and flavour compounds so painstakingly grown in the olive throughout the year. Has a wonderfully vibrant, leafy green hue and a delicious bouquet of fresh herbs, citrus fruit, artichokes and tomatoes. The palate is concentrated and full, generously offering the citrus and tomato promised on the nose. Although full in the mouth, the oil retains an elegance and balance that makes others taste clumsy in comparison. Planeta's Olive Oil deserves freshly baked bread in order to show it's magnificent array of characteristics fully. The complex palate makes this an ideal dressing for green leaf salads and frugally prepared river fish, octopus and squid.
 
     

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