I’ve decided to write about the Italian cultivars or varieties of olives used in Italy to make olive oil. As I said a few posts ago, Avvinare is expanding its range of subjects from writing only about wines to more articles on food, travel, and art.

Many years ago I started writing this series but didn’t get very far. I am excited to dive back in and write about this amazing gift that I received this past year from Claudio at Case D’Alto. I first met Claudio virtually during the pandemic. Together with Ilaria Petitto of Donnachiara, we tried to do a series of instagram live events with different producers in her region – Irpinia. We had a great conversation with Claudio that day so when I finally got to meet him in person in New York last March, I felt like we already knew one another. I met Claudio as a wine producer of Taurasi, the famed aglianico wine from their area. I discovered immediately that he also produced olive oil. He brought me a bottle of the oil and it was honestly one of the best I have ever tasted.

I am not yet an olive oil taster but I think it’s something I am going to pursue more avidly. Years ago I did a series of masterclasses with Aileen Robbins’s company with an Olive Oil expert who basically wrote the book, Flos Olei, on olive oil. At that time, I found out there are over 500 olive cultivars and that the terroir for making olive oil is just as important as it is for making wine. It seemed to me to be an area worth exploring, especially as one tries to navigate the variety of olive oils coming out of Italy, not to mention from the rest of the world.

Olive cultivars change according to their terroir. Before meeting Claudio, I had never heard of Ravece, the cultivar used in Coevo pictured above. It typically grows in Southern Italy. It is also known by the name of Rotondela. The cultivar has a very long history. The olive oil it makes is a beautiful green color that is quite fruit forward, with herbal and spice notes. It was both elegant and structured without being overpowering. It is said to be ancient as well dating back more than 1500 years.