The Olive Oil Experience

Active for decades and with a history of exports to the finest markets all over the world, we at Colle San Vitale know that our Olive Oil is the result of passion, expertise, and a unique, breathtaking place: the "Colle" is the symbol of a land to be protected, discovered and, above all, savoured.

Oleum Ex Albis Ulivis

Italy is home to nearly 500 different olive cultivars (short for "cultivated variety"), each differing in oil yield, lipid content, and morphological, physiological, and agronomic characteristics.

It is, however, the handling, the processes, and the quality of cultivation that earn an oil the designation EVOO—"Extra Virgin Olive Oil."

The Olea europaea, or olive tree, likely originated in Asia Minor and Syria, where the Phoenicians and Greeks discovered it and brought it to Europe. But it was the Romans who spread it throughout Italy and gave it the value we attribute to it today. It was their idea to classify oil according to the quality and ripeness of the olives—and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, pressed from green olives, is the most prized of all.

As the olives ripened further, the oil gradually lost its nutritional value, on a scale that Lucius Columella, in his "De Re Rustica," set at five levels: from EVOO (known as Oleum Ex Albis Ulivis) down to Oleum Cibarium—the product of pressing the poorest olives, discarded and nearly shriveled, destined to feed slaves.

Today we have a wide range of physical and chemical criteria to define the quality of a fine oil, based on its acidity level, extraction methods, and the concentration of waxes, compounds, and other substances.

An EVOO is obtained exclusively through mechanical extraction, has an acidity level no higher than 0.8%, and must meet minimum quality standards set by European regulations. But a truly fine oil is also, and above all, a pleasure to savor: bold aromatic character, a fine fruitiness, and distinct notes of bitterness and spice, prized since antiquity.