Understanding New Harvest Olive Oil

Producing Italy's Finest Olive Oil

 

Olive Oil buyers guide

As the harvest season begins, olive oil producers are busy at work. After tending to their groves all year long, they finally get to begin reaping their annual crop. Although the olive harvest in Italy will often take a couple of months to complete, it all leads to the exciting release of new harvest olive oils. Also known as olio nuovo or olio novello, this is a special variety of oil made available when the olives are at their ripest, resulting in unique and delicious flavors.

Learn more about new harvest olive oil, including when the olives are harvested and what type of flavor profiles you can expect from this type of oil.

When Are Olives Harvested in Italy?

The harvest season in Italy generally takes place beginning in mid to late October and extends into the middle of December. Of course, there are variations in a few places, like some olive groves which begin the harvest season a bit earlier near the end of September or areas where the harvest doesn't start until November. But generally, a late October start for olive harvesting season is the most common for Italian olive farms.

Olio nuovo, or new harvest olive oil, is the term used to describe olive oils right after they are produced at the beginning of harvest season. Because the harvest season occurs in the fall, new harvest olive oils are available in the late fall and early winter.

New Harvest Olive Oil Features

New harvest olive oils, also known as olio novello or olio nuovo, are very fresh and full of flavor. Although extra virgin olive oil can have a relatively long shelf life when bottled and stored properly, these oils are even more flavorful in the few months directly following their production during the height of the harvest.

Olive oil producers in Italy release fresh harvest olive oil each year. As a result, many olive oil aficionados excitedly anticipate the opportunity to try these products when they feature their peak flavors. Depending on the type of oil and the date when the olives were harvested, this could mean a robust, herbaceous flavor, like that produced by the slightly unripe early harvest olives. For olio nuovo made from riper, late harvest olives, you can likely expect a flavor that leans more toward floral creamy and buttery.

In addition to featuring the absolute freshest flavors, cold-pressed olive oils also offer the best health benefits when consumed at their freshest. The seasonality of new harvest olive oils makes them highly coveted.

If you're interested in trying olio nuovo or olio novello, be sure to shop at Olio2go. We partner with trusted producers of high-quality Italian olive oil located throughout all 20 regions of the country. Their small batch productions are typically released in late fall and early winter, and you can find the details about when is olive season and which harvest season each bottle is from in the details listed on each product page. Enjoy very fresh and wonderfully flavorful olive oils by choosing from our selection of new harvest products released at the beginning of each year.

 

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