Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Alta Cresta Orchards
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is produced at Alta Cresta Orchards exclusively from our estate grown Italian olive varietals.
The olive orchard is planted with Leccino, Coratina, Frantoio and Pendolino olive trees. These varietals produce extra virgin olive oil that is fruity with a peppery finish.
Alta Cresta Orchard specializes in producing 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil grown on our estate, under the California Sun, that is strong in flavor and high in polyphenols exclusively from Italian olive varietals. Our olive oil undergoes the rigorous testing of the California Olive Oil Council so we can provide our customers with assurance that our olive oils meet the high standards of this organization and is in fact 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Olive Harvest
The local harvest season for oil olives begins in November and can last until January. At Alta Cresta we begin our harvest in early November when the fruit is a mixture of ripe (black)to un-ripe (green). This creates a fragrant olive oil while maintaining high levels of health-beneficial polyphenols. Alta Cresta uses the time honored tradition of hand picking the fruit to protect the olives from being bruised or damaged prior to milling.
Olive Oil Milling
Olive oil can easily take on odors and flavors from outside sources and it is important that the pressing is performed as soon as possible after harvesting in a clean and odor free environment. Our olives are harvested starting in the early morning and the harvested fruit is taken on the same day to a local mill for processing into oil. The mill where our olives are processed uses a state of the art closed environment stainless steel Pierlisi olive press which protects the oil from obtaining off flavors.
At the mill the harvested olives are first deleafed and washed prior to crushing. The Pierlisi press uses a Hammermill to quickly crush the olives into paste without damaging heat build-up. The paste is then transferred to a Malaxator where it is slowly mixed for 30 to 40 minutes to allow the oil molecules to begin to coalesce prior to final separation of the oil from the remaining "pomace". Finally the paste is moved to a Centrifugal press where the oil is separated from the solids and the water. The separated oil flows into closed containers and the head space of the container is flushed with an inert gas to prevent oxygen contact with the oil, thus preventing the polyphenols from being reduced. The closed containers are stored in a temperature controlled environment until bottling.
Olive Oil Bottling
Until bottling, our oil remains stored in an ideal temperature controlled environment. To insure freshness and quality, the oil is bottled just before selling and delivery to our customers. Our oil is bottled in antique green bottles to extend its shelf life and freshness by minimizing the detrimental effects of oxidization that light can promote.
Olive Oils Produced
The methods that we have chosen to process our olives from the harvesting, milling, storing and bottling are all meant to enhance the flavors of our oils and help it maintain its healthful benefits. From our four Italian olive varietals, we currently produce and sell three different 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oils:
- Coratina is a single varietal made from the Coratina olive native to southern Italy. Producing olive oil that is nutty with the taste of green olive fruit and a peppery finish. Drizzle this oil on a salad or use it to make your favorite chicken or fish dish.
- Tuscan Blend is made from our Frantoio, Leccino and Pendolino olive native to Tuscany. Producing olive oil that has the aroma of fresh cut grass, taste of green olive fruit and a piquant finish.
- Estate Italian Blend is made from all four of our Italian varietals. Producing olive oil with a tantalizing aroma, taste of green olive fruit with a latent pungency. Use this oil to add zest to your salads or when dipping your favorite bread.
You can purchase Alta Cresta 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil here.
