There are no other places in the world where an extra virgin olive oil is produced in a region like Garda Trentino, beyond the 46th parallel!
This peculiarity, together with the top quality, has made some oils in the Alto Garda area get the eminent accolade of the POD brand.
The Garda Trentino POD extra virgin olive oil is produced with hand-picked olives by shaking the boughs or the whole tree, by “milking” the olives into a sack, or by using an electric tool, the oliviera, that has large tongs that spin around quickly, removing fruit from the tree.
THE NATIVE VARIETY
The most common native variety is called Casaliva,
Its oil is pretty peculiar: the colour is a dark green-gold, it is delicate and sweet as well as slightly bitter and spicy, with some artichoke aromas.
It is nice to see, but best of all to taste! You can’t miss out the pairing with some typical local products like carne salada (both raw and cooked), some lake fish, and the green broccoli cultivated in Torbole!
THE OLIVE HARVEST IN GARDA TRENTINO
The olive harvest in this Trentino region is determined according to a scientific method based on the level of olive ripening. The harvest kicks off when the fruit gets to the full ripening. For this reason, it can’t be moved up nor strung out, because it has to happen at the exact moment to guarantee the quality and the output of the fruit at its most.
The Garda Trentino POD certificate implies that at least the 80% of the oil is from the Casaliva Cultivar.
The olive harvest is so important for this region that the “Accademia dell’Olivo e dell’Olio” association has been created to promote the preservation, the protection and the development of the olive production activities in the Alto Garda Trentino area.
NOTHING FROM THE “GREEN GOLD” GOES TO WASTE
Given the lay of this land, the olives are harvested by hand with the only help of some machineries.
The further processing occurs within 24 hours. This means the fruit won’t oxidise and the quality of the oil will be very high.
Anyway, nothing from the olive processing goes to waste. Every single part is used for producing other top-notch products, like the molche (the pulp leftovers obtained after the olive processing) that are the base of exquisite food like the bread (link interno).
GUIDED TOURS DURING THE OLIVE HARVEST SEASON
The olive harvest in Garda Trentino represents a moment of sharing and party for this fruit, which is a symbol for this rich and multifarious region.
If you fancy attending the “miracle” of the northernmost oil in the world, you may choose to join one of the several events. Out of many, these are our suggestions:
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Agraria Riva del Garda. Guided tours inside the olive-oil mill for groups of (at least) 15 people. Tasting is available from Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 12.30 am, and from 3 pm to 7 pm. At the moment, olive harvesting experiences are not available, nor visits to the olive grove (apart from some special events directly organised by the company).
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Laghel 7 Agritur. Visits to the olive grove are offered during the harvest period, but no real harvesting involved.
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Azienda Agricola Rigatti. As usual, also this year a day in the olive grove and among the vineyards will be offered to the guests to see the olive and grape harvest. The perfect country style.
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Madonna delle Vittorie. the olive harvest will start around October, 20th. By previous booking, guided tours to the winery and the olive-oil mill are organised, followed by wine and oil tasting.
When all the olive from a tree will have gone, and you’ll look at all that wealth in the net, you’ll feel full of goodwill towards mother nature. Maybe you’ll be tired, but you’ll also breath the heady smell of the harvested olives at the top of your lungs.
Sitting in the shade of a centuries-old olive tree, you’ll thank the nature and… your decision to live not only a holiday in Garda Trentino, but also a proper experience!
