Our olive groves
There are only over a thousand olive trees at Tenuta Aquadivina, some of which are centuries old. The farm is certified organic and in the process of switching to biodynamic.
The varieties grown are typical Tuscan:
Leccino: this olive tree has drooping branches resembling those of a weeping willow. The foliage is dense and extensive, the inflorescence short and the flowers large, characteristics that give the tree considerable decorative value. This plant, which originated in Tuscany, is certainly one of the most rustic varieties among those grown in Italy.
The Leccino olive tree produces a large quantity of large, high-quality black olives with a sweet, light flavour. Olives harvested before they are fully ripe yield a high-quality, fresh, fragrant oil with a fruity flavour, while those harvested later produce a less strong oil with a sweet, balanced flavour.
The oil obtained from the Leccino variety has a neutral and slightly aromatic flavour, with a bitter and slightly spicy aftertaste. It is golden yellow with greenish hues.
Processing
Harvesting of the olives is done by hand and begins in mid-October in order to obtain maximum quality, despite its lower yield. It is a long and tiring method, but it is the only one that yields clean and intact fruit and thus ensures quality oil. The trees are subjected to beating harvest, i.e. manual threshing with tools such as long poles that cause the olives to fall onto sheets spread out at the foot of the trees.
Crushing takes place in a certified organic oil mill in the immediate vicinity of the farm. Every day, at the end of the harvest and within a few hours of the harvest itself, the olives are processed in a state-of-the-art continuous-cycle machine that minimises oxidation during the pressing process for an optimal result.
The continuous-type mill consists of a set of machines connected in continuity with each other that excludes any interruption in processing, and its operating cycle is called 3-phase: oil / water / pomace.
The olives are washed and defoliated, then sent to the crusher, which releases a continuous formation of olive paste that goes to the kneading machine, a tank inside which paddles rotate and slowly turn the mixture. The olive paste, to which water is added, is then sent to the centrifuge (decanter), which separates the paste into its three components: pomace, vegetation water and must oil. The oil and vegetation water are finally sent to centrifugal separators to extract the oil.
The oil is stored at a controlled temperature in vacuum silos, again to limit oxidation as much as possible, and bottled shortly before shipment to the customer.
Our oil
Our oil is golden in colour with green hues.
Its flavour is intense, with notes of cut grass, green tomatoes, artichokes, rosemary and mint. On the palate it is spicy without being bitter, with a persistent aroma and a final aftertaste of sage and wild herbs.
In the links below you will find the results of analyses on our oil carried out in the laboratory:
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the K232, K270 and Delta K values are measurements made using ultraviolet light to check oxidation;
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the other values are various acids and polyphenols, which are not only a powerful antioxidant with great health benefits, but also the source of those spicy, fragrant and perfumed notes that make high quality oils unique.
The bottles are made by a Tuscan glassworks: each one is hand-decorated with Carrara marble powder to make it unique and pleasantly surprising to the touch; every bottle is sealed with shellac and imprinted with the Aquadivina logo.
In addition to the bottles, cylindrical 1-litre and 3-litre cans are also available.
