Ripalta DOP Umbria Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2022

Ripalta is a high quality 100% Umbrian DOP extra virgin olive oil. The olives come from Umbrian hills owned by a storied, aristocratic family for many centuries.

The name of the oil, “Ripalta”, takes its name from the castle of the family producing this fine oil, the Marchesi Misciattelli Bernardini. This is a land full of Etruscan tombs, Roman ruins, fertile soil for vineyards and olive groves in a staggeringly gorgeous countryside.

While not yet certified organic, the trees are deep in the Umbrian countryside and they use no pesticides. Every olive grows in the sun and wind and rain on these beautiful and historic hills. Olive varieties include frantoio, leccino, and moraiolo. These are pressed almost immediately after they are harvested from the trees, which is critical for a pure and salubrious product.

Ripalta has a small, boutique production grown at a high elevation compared to most producers. The output per tree is smaller but the quality much higher.

The olives are DOP “Colli Orvietani”, which means the Hills above Orvieto. Every olive grew in the Italian sun and wind and rain on those hills.

In 2021, Ripalta won notable awards: Platinum in London and Gold in Berlin.

Recommendations from the producer:

Due to its bright and rich flavor and consistency, we love it fresh in salads. Or drizzled on “pane pomodoro”, which is different from bruschetta. Or simply with good bread and salt. Then of course we use it as a base for tomato sauce - no onion and just a clove of garlic (the clove is then discarded and not served - Italians eat very little garlic compared to Italian Americans - plus it covers the flavor of the olive oil.) I would say we do one of the above at least once a day! We also use Ripalta instead of butter in risotto - the result is less heavy and more healthful. Asparagus risotto is a great meal.