Lucero Olio Novello 500 ml

2023 Harvest

19 Sept Update:  California is looking at a delayed harvest this year. Bloom was between 2 and 3 weeks later than average, and although the fruit is sizing nicely, the oil content is much too low to produce olive oil at this time. Fingers crossed for a bottling in time for your Thanksgiving Table.

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2022 Harvest - Sold Out

After tasting the olives harvested to date we're delighted to offer a blend of Ascolano and Arbosana for this year's Olio Novello. The Ascolano aroma is heady with classic Ascolano fragrance, and the Arbosana offers a sharp green structure as a pungent base. Zowie!  

Flavor & Enjoyment

Regardless of olive variety or varieties chosen, Olio Novello's characteristics include bright green flavors, high aroma, and thick consistency due to the presence of olive flesh which has not been removed. Best consumed fresh, and traditionally enjoyed on toasted bread with sea salt.

To truly enjoy this oil I recommend no vinegar with your bread; let the flavor of the olives come through. If you'd like to be utterly authentic and you have a fire pit, you can replicate what small Italian farmers do at the local community mill: toast some rustic bread over the fire, liberally douse with the new oil and a sprinkle of salt, and raise a nice glass of Italian vino da tavola to another harvest year and to good health.  

About Olio Novello

Each fall the first oils of the year are eagerly sampled to select one or more superior examples to represent Olio Novello, our New Oil. Much like the tradition of enjoying Beaujolais Nouveau young wine in November, Olio Novello celebrates the new harvest with extra virgin olive oil which has not been filtered nor has it been racked of sediment.

Some companies refer to new oil as Olio Nuovo, however, since my olive oil roots are Florentine, I refer to this oil as it was introduced to me "Olio Novello". In any event, it is not Olio Nuevo. "Olio" is Italian for oil, "nuevo" is Spanish for new; the Spanish use the Arab derivation for oil "al zeit", literally "the oil". In Spain new oil is Aceite Nuevo.

Regarding the photos

The photos of olives and fresh oils in the mills shown are from the Williams 160 orchard and Lucero Olive Mill a few years ago and are for inspirational purposes only while we wait for the crop to come in. Despite what our instincts tell us, there is not a direct correlation between olive oil color and flavor. I've illustrated two oils, thick and fresh from the mill from harvests past, and although wildly different in color, both were very bright, highly aromatic and pungent oils.  

The photos of bread feature a freshly baked country loaf from a friend. Read about the Quest for Bread in our collection of stories and serving ideas section "Convivial Conversation".