UpSideDownTheWorld Blog

Olive oil has got very popular in the last decades. We just discovered it makes better almost everything. Italy and olives belong together in our imagination. They grow olive there for 4000 years and have 350 different species so they learned how to do it. We always wanted to go to an olive harvest but the organised tours are extremely expensive. We got a price offer for around 1000 Euro. We almost gave it up but got lucky. We visited Pennacchi winery in Sagrantino area Umbria, Mr Pennacchi makes good wines and an easy going man which show on his winery. (https://www.montefalcowine.it/cantina-winery/cantina-domenico-pennacchi/) Anyway he gave us some simple food with the wine tasting. Toast with pancetta (bacon) and sage leaves or just with olive oil.

It was harvest time and he had his own fresh oil which you can find only at this time and only locally. The color is very different of your ideas of olive oil. Amazingly dark green. He told us that his friend has an oil mill near. Although it was 9 pm he took us there. The harvest was just going on. We had a chance to see the process taste and buy the oil just spilled out of the mill. The mill and the plantation is owned by Bacci Noemio and his family. We had a warm welcome and were showen around. They have 3 kind of olives Moraiolo (80%), Frantoio (10%), Leccino (10%). Moraiolo is the typical Tuscan and Umbria type. This is the desirable green freshly cut grass smell oil, with a spicy and slightly bitter ending. It was 10 pm but the harvest was going on because the olives have to be pressed as soon as possible after harvesting. They prepared toasts and we had a chance to taste the different oils. New and old ones. It was real spontaneous and lucky experience for us. Mr Pennacchi even provided some more wine. http://oliobaccinoemio.it/it/home/