Olio Merico Salento
Olivaverde were very lucky to come across this excellent family run artisan olive oil producer, Olio Merico Salento from Puglia at the Slow Food Terre Madre Salone del Gusto in Turin in September 2016, where they were part of the area featuring olive oils who had obtained the prized Slow Food Presidia status.
The family are passionate about producing wonderful organic olive oils without the use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides and because of the rarity of the olive varieties that they use and their outstanding production methods they were awarded the Presidia status by Slow Food International in 2014 and again in 2015.
The olive oils produced by Olio Merico Salento have won many awards over the past few years and have appeared in some of the most prestigious olive oil guides and magazines in both Italy and other parts of the world.
Their farm and the olive groves are near Salento in Puglia in the south of Italy and the land which has many 500 year old olive trees was inherited by Maria Rosa Merico in 1983, with the family producing fine olive oils since 1700. The family now cares for the ancient centuries old olive trees for their mother, the olive trees being some of the typical Puglian varieties of Ogliarola di Lecce and Cellina di Nardò.
They produce both blended and single variety olive oils, and we at Olivaverde stock the superb the Piana degli Ulivi which is a natural blend of two varieties and is composed of 70% Ogliarola and 30% Cellina, and obtained the Slow Food Presidia status in 2014.
The oil is slightly bitter but fruity and has hints of tomato, artichoke and chicory and goes extremely well with both pasta, salads, chicken and red meat.
Olivaverde stock or have access to a large range of blended and monovarietal olive oils from Italy, Siculy, Spain, Greece and Malta so please do get in touch if you wish to find out more about these wonderful fine organic olive oils and also to take part in tasting events and olive oil appreciation courses that we hold which normally include these fantastic olive oils in the UK, Italy and Malta.
