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AN EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL FOR EVERY OCCASION

The great biodiversity heritage embodied by the hundreds of varieties existing in Italy, where the only non-oil-producing area left is the Val d’Aosta, is perhaps the best starting point for a full appreciation of the extraordinary culinary possibility that extra virgin olive oil offers us each day.

The olives naturally assert their varietal profile and modern extraction techniques have the power to enhance these qualities, creating oils with a greater or lesser tendency to be sweet or fruity, spicy or floral, bitter or grassy.

All that remains is to match one’s own personal preferences or gastronomic needs with the many and varied types available in order to find the right pairings and the best taste experience. Extra virgin olive oil is a food that dates back thousands of years and which, today, is able to express itself at undreamed of levels of excellence, so that every moment spent at the table brings a new sensation and a unique nutritional contribution.

While respecting the choices dictated by personal taste, the paragraphs below suggest some general practices in the use of this full-bodied vegetable fat. At the table, the use of extra virgin olive oil par excellence is ‘uncooked‘, i.e. poured as a dressing directly over vegetables, raw or cooked meat, raw or cooked fish, first courses, risottos and soups, certain types of cured meats and fresh cheeses.

Here the personality of the oil we have chosen will burst forth, instantly, irrepressibly; its direct contact with the food makes it a primary element in balancing the flavors of the dish. In the kitchen, another valuable property of extra virgin olive oil comes into play, that of being the best cooking fat that nature can provide (remember that all that is done is simply to extract the oil from the fruit). Its presence acts as a fluidizing agent, it harmonizes the flavors and spreads the heat evenly throughout the dish. And, of course, it is no coincidence that each oil incomparably enhances the dishes of its own region.

Sautéing the chopped onion or garlic base for a meat sauce or braising meat are fundamental preliminary stages in cooking which can already determine the success of the recipe, if we use the right extra virgin olive oil. But the cooking technique most fitting to oil is undoubtedly frying, and traditional Italian cuisine demonstrates that all kinds of foods can be fried in all kinds of ways.

The appeal of these dishes is the union between palatability and flavor, between natural digestibility and simplicity of use, but enthusiasm and excellent raw materials are always required for optimal results. Concluding our reflections, we can say that there is always room on the table for an excellent extra virgin olive oil;

used with a bit of imagination and culinary finesse, extra virgin olive oil provides aromatic enhancement with a unique nutritional value. What we really have to convince ourselves of, once and for all, is that its presence is so important for our nourishment as to deserve greater attention and a conscious economic effort.

Spending a few Euros more, with respect to the dismal proposals of the discount stores, choosing two or three types with different characters and origins, using them wisely at the table, will enable us to combine the character of the oil to that of the dish – with extraordinary results! Every moment will have its own ‘extra virgin’ taste! text edited by Stefano Asaro

Two individuals and love for a special area, that of the Canino countryside, in the heart of Upper Tuscia

So started the adventure that led Paolo Borzatta and Ione Zobbi to put down roots in this place and then, almost inevitably, to become producers of monovarietal extra virgin olive oil. The concept behind the farm was an ambitious one: maximize the potential of the small olive groves scattered around the house to bring out the best of the monovarietal oils in their home territory to create gourmet oils with a broad range of flavors and aromas. The producers of I&P oil are committed to making available the variety of essential flavors of monoculture oils (more precisely, monovarietal oils because they are produced from a single variety of olive) and the variability of their flavor year-after-year without attempting to maintain the taste of the oil artificially “constant” through mixing with other varieties. The result is gourmet extra virgin olive oils from six different varieties of olive grown in individual plots of land whose every phase has been meticulously followed.

THE HOME OF OUR MONOVARIETAL OILS

The Farm

Azienda Agricola Ione Zobbi is situated in the town of Canino, in the province of Viterbo. Canino is a town of Etruscan origin that later became part of the lands of the Farnese noble family. In the 1800s, Luciano Bonaparte, Prince of Canino and brother of Napoleon, also lived here.

The Soil

The soil, rich in minerals that are particularly congenial to the olive tree, gives our oils unique aromas with fresh vegetal overtones. The Itrana variety is produced in an olive grove located in the town of Sonnino (Latina). This rugged, sunny area produces pungent aromas with unusual overtones.

The Olive Groves

The olive groves of the Azienda Agricola Ione Zobbe are located primarily in a volcanic area of the town of Canino and the neighboring towns of Tessennano and Arlena di Castro, all within the Viterbo zone of the Tuscia area. The soil, rich in minerals that are particularly congenial to the olive tree, gives our oils unique aromas with fresh vegetal overtones. The Itrana variety is produced in an olive grove located in the town of Sonnino (Latina). This rugged, sunny area produces pungent aromas with  an unusual overtones.

Satellite Coordinates

The satellite coordinates of Canino are: latitude 44.5588028°, longitude – 12.5778415° The satellite coordinates of Sonnino are: latitude 41.4305°, longitude – 13.2454°

THE CRUS FROM OUR LAND

From its very founding, our farm also applied the concept of the cru in olive cultivation and the production of its extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). It is a concept born in France a few centuries ago. We have applied it in its most rigorous sense: an olive grove in a specific location with its olive trees of specific varieties.

For this reason, the names of all our EVOOs are formulated as follows:

Grand Cru (or Cru) + the name of the area where the olive grove from which the olives used to produce that EVOO is located

Almost all our olive groves are located in the towns of Canino, Tessennano and Arlena di Castro, all in the province of Viterbo, with the exception of one in Sonnino in the province of Frosinone:

CANINO

Mentioned for the first time in the 9th century in a document of Pope Leo IV, its origins are quite ancient. In fact, it was part of Etruscan Lucomonia, in one of its most important settlements known as Vulci which, between the 7th and 5th centuries BC enjoyed significant economic prosperity and political prestige. The olive groves in this town are located in the areas of: Gioacchina, Musignano and Quaranta rubie.

TESSENNANO:

There is no definite information about the existence of this town until the Middle Ages. According to legend, it was founded by Ascanius, the son of Aeneas. It is probably of Etruscan origin and in ancient times was a stop-over on the route connecting Tuscania and Canino. The olive groves in this town are located in the areas of: Capo Terzo, Monte freddo, Morone and Piscine.

ARLENA DI CASTRO:

An agricultural center in the Volsini mountains on the southwest face of the volcanic range. Virtually uninhabited, all that remains is an old fortress, the Roccaccia, which was essentially rebuilt in the second half of the 16th century on the instructions of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese the Younger (b. Valentano 1520 – d. Rome, 1589; grandson of Pope Paul III). The olive grove in this town is in Spinicci.

These three towns all lie on the plain next to the sea, where the cities of Tarquinia and Tuscania are also located, as was the city of Vulci. It was on this plain that the Etruscan civilization was born over 3,000 years ago, providing the fertile territory for Latin culture that would give rise to Rome. It is part of what is known as Upper Tuscia.

SONNINO:

Its origins are probably Roman and pre-Roman. In ancient times inhabited by the Volsci, an Italic people, it later came under Roman control and was densely populated. Dating from the Middle Ages is the imposing castle with its grand cylindrical tower. The castle, perched on Colle Sant’Angelo was built around the 9th century by the De Sompnino family, the first ruling nobility of Sonnino. It remained part of the Papal States until 1870, when it was admitted to the newly-formed Italian nation. The olive grove in this town is in Sonnino.

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