To talk about the quality of gourmet olive oil we need to refer to the olive oil Regulation, which sets out several categories according to olive oil quality.
So olive oils would be classified as follows, from lowest to highest quality: olive pomace oil, olive oil, virgin olive oil and extra virgin olive oil.
Well, gourmet or premium extra virgin olive oil falls into the last category, also known as AOVE, and the words gourmet or premium are added to set it apart from own-brand labels that compete on price.
Premium Olive Oil is a very high-quality extra virgin olive oil made from green olives.
How is gourmet olive oil made?
To make gourmet or premium olive oil, the harvested olives are taken straight to the mill to prevent them from spoiling or altering the flavour of the oil.
What gives this olive oil its special touch is that the olives picked are not fully ripe, so they are harder to store and the flesh is firmer. That is why making gourmet olive oil requires more kilos of olives to produce a litre of premium olive oil than to produce a litre of oil from ripe olives, as their oil yield is low.
This extra virgin olive oil has a limited production because, as we said earlier, it is made from green olives that have not yet finished ripening, so while some are harvested, the rest continue to ripen.
This makes the production process very costly, because there is little supply for making olive oil of this kind, and that explains the high price of gourmet olive oil.
Why gourmet olive oil?
Starting from the fact that extra virgin olive oil has exceptional characteristics and benefits for our body, it gives us sensations that other olive oils do not.
The first aroma we notice when tasting an olive oil of this kind is a deep fruity aroma, the main quality of virgin olive oils.
It is a pleasant olfactory sensation reminiscent of nuts, and we can enjoy many flavours such as almond, eucalyptus, citrus, forest fruits, camomile, walnut, vanilla and hundreds more.
On top of this, we may notice a bitter or perhaps peppery taste. This is because, when the olives are harvested earlier, we perceive a peppery or bitter sensation in the throat. This indicates that the olive oil has a good content of polyphenols and their derivatives.
Single-variety AOVEs or Coupages?
It is true that there are many varieties to choose from depending on their characteristics, such as: Picual olive oil, Cornicabra olive oil, Arbequina olive oil, Empeltre olive oil or Hojiblanca olive oil.
As in everything in life, each person has their own taste, and the saying “there's no accounting for taste” also applies when it comes to buying gourmet extra virgin olive oil.
It also depends a great deal on culture, as in some countries peppery or bitter flavours are rejected, and vice versa.
It is also worth highlighting that, as AOVE enters new markets, consumers increasingly appreciate and value the positive characteristics that define a good extra virgin olive oil.
The best container for keeping premium olive oil
As we all know, olive oil should be stored away from direct sunlight, which is why gourmet extra virgin olive oil or premium extra virgin olive oils are sold in dark or opaque containers.
To help you understand the quality of this type of olive oil, at Aceites La Matilla we have created an attractive bottle that carries all the information you need to appreciate its value: acidity, harvest year, flavours and so on.
Does olive oil expire?
Olive oil has no expiry date, although it is advisable to consume it within 18 months. But if we really want to enjoy the aromas of a gourmet or premium olive oil, it is best consumed within the first 6 months.
