On a blustery, snowy, February day, Marco Oreggia brought a group of internationally renowned olive oil producers, including almost two dozen of Italy’s best olive oil producers to New York, to launch his 2016 guide. Olive and and wine were on equal footing at the Yale Club, near Grand Central Station, where the guides to leading wines and olives oils were presented.
The Flos Olei Guide can now be purchased at Olio2go — over 500 pages of olive oils from around the world — with a large number from Italy. This is a marvelous encyclopedia of olive oil, with guidance for future travels!
Tasting, comparing, and evaluating consumed the day. In the many conversations, we discuss milling techniques, compare monocultivar selections (can you discern the differences between these two Coratina selections?), talk about the state of olive oil production, the impact of the 60 Minutes Agromafia story, and plan future visits.
It is heartening to learn that they are very careful in selecting olives for the oil, and learning about the techniques that aid in creating fabulous olive oils. One producer told me that when new selections are being developed, she sends samples to the lab each month to assess how the quality and characteristics are hold up. Another producer would like to provide us with oil from a new farm, but isn’t yet satisifed with the quality. Spend time with these amiable competitors and you will find a group of friendly Italians each working hard to create the best possible oil, to win recognition in Marco Oreggia’s guide, Flos Olei, and to lead this industry.
The collage shows: Clockwise from top left: Marco Oreggia, Luanne with Simone di Gaetano of Fonte di Foiano, Filippo Alampi of Fattoria Ramerino, Salvatore Stallone of Tre Collone with Simone di Gaetano, Marco, Dr. Nicola Fazzi and his daughter Isabella, of Colli Etruschi.
For more information on our Flos Olei producers, see this blog post, A New Year for Olive Oil Awards.
