The Secret to Good Olive Oil

First, olive oil is like wine. Fruit varietal, climate, and soil all have a big impact on taste and quality. Just as with grapes, some olive varietals aren't up to the privilege of being turned to liquid but are only good for eating as fruit. There are also big differences between wine and olive oil. In wine-making, blending and aging play an important role. With olive oil, they don't; the oil that runs off the press is the finished product. There are no oak casks or years of waiting. Olive oil is no more and no less than whole olives, crushed.

This means that we have to pay even more attention to the care of the tree and its fruit. Different olive varietals are suited to different parts of the world. Greece is famous for its kalamata olives. In central Italy, most premium oil comes from three varietals: leccino, frantoio, and moraiolo, but areas as small as villages boast their own special varietals. We grow pendolino, arbequina, mission, coratina, and leccino olives. These varietals create oil that is perfect for cooking or spreading on salads or bread.

The second part of our secret is the land. The hilly, limestone-rich areas of central Texas are almost identical to central Italy, which is considered by many to be the finest olive growing region in the world. The Central Texas climate and terrain is almost a perfect match.