Casa Caponetti Olive Oil & The Magic Behind It
The groves of Casa Caponetti are located in Tuscania, Lazio, Central Italy and the Extra Virgin Olive Oil that they produce is unlike anything else. The olives are hand picked at the end of October/beginning of November each year, and Lorenzo (the owner) begins to grind his olives immediately after harvest. The oil is then extracted from the olive paste at 28C or lower, this is known as a cold press. Within 3 days the oil is then tinned, unfiltered - Casa Caponetti uses tins rather than glass for their olive oil to help preserve the quality and avoid oxidation that can occur when sunlight contacts the oil, reducing the risk of it turning rancid.
This process captures the flavor of the fresh picked olives within the tin. It is buttery and herbaceous, with a hint of white pepper. Casa Caponetti EVOO is utilized by the best chefs and food writers in the world (Dan Barber and Ruth Reichl).
“There's a reason in freshness and speed, since Extra Virgin olive oil is made through a physical processing that doesn't involve any heat nor fermentation, so the enzymes and vitamins that are into the fruit go unscathed, and end up in the bottle. This means that olive oil quality is at peak when it's freshly made, and then it would taper down with the passing time." -Lorenzo
Casa Caponetti Olive Oil is so special because the entire process is done by hand, and has 500 olive trees in this grove. Not only is the entire process of milling and pressing completed on the farm, but so is the bottling and labeling. Each bottle contains a map of the growing sites and is cataloged based on what part of the farm the olives were harvested. Additionally, due to the limited quantities made each year, the only place you can get this olive oil that is not direct from the farm is from Due Sorelle - it is not retailed anywhere else.
If you did not know, extra virgin olive oil is one of the best types of oils. The process of extraction preserves the highest amount of antioxidants in the oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil does have a shelf-life of 18 months; however, Lorenzo and we at Due Sorelle recommend utilizing the oil as fresh as possible. It is a high-quality, luxury product, but is not something you’d want to “save” for a special occasion like a wine.
For more information on olive oil quality, please see our blog on How to Tell the Quality of Your Olive Oil!
If you’d like to learn more about Lorenzo and Casa Caponetti Olive Oil please check out these educational videos from his lectures at Cornell University and Future Food Institute.
