Here at Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars, we emphasize flavor and freshness with our oils and vinegars. And when it comes to getting the very best extra virgin olive oil, our friends at Aguilar estate in Spain know the difference.
During a recent trip to Spain, the Fustini’s team got to witness and experience the difference that quality olives used for olive oil can make. This difference can be seen in taste, flavor, and the health benefits that it carries.
The Importance of Freshness
“Freshness is key for any fruit juice,” shared Tim Balshi, part of the Aguilar estate. “Olives are fruit, crushed into a fresh green elixir that is a juice, the only stone fruit in the world to yield oil is the olive. Health benefits come not only from freshness but also from crushing under-ripe fruit, even though extraction yield rates are lower.”
Fustini’s connects with the Aguilar estate for their rich, flavorful, and high-quality SELECT olive oil, including our Picual oil.
So how does high-quality oil begin? Balshi shares, “Typically, when the weather is cool in October and November and the land is dry, olives are picked early in the morning, around 8 a.m. until noon. The olives are then quickly delivered to the mill for crushing into extra virgin olive oil. The milling can often continue until midnight, depending on when these small farmers bring olives to our mill. Harvesting olives at peak ripeness varies from plot to plot on each farm, and fruit selection is key to quality. Time is the enemy of green olives, and when a producer wants to keep harvesting, sometimes running late into the night, the mill has to go until the job is done.”
This process, along with their impressive resources in the milling process, helps to make Aguilar family farm stand out. They’ve raised the bar of what quality means in the olive oil industry.
“I love experiencing the first oils of the season in October and monitoring their aromas as they blossom and open up a few weeks after green oil is extracted from the first fruits,” Balshi said. “It's a magical experience of a living fruit juice, unique to just about everything else in the culinary world.”
Experience the Fresh Flavor
Discover the fresh flavor from Aguilar family farm yourself by picking up a bottle of our SELECT olive oil when it arrives in February 2024!