Wine & Other Stories

Hacienda de Colchado: quality lies in the selection

Written by Veronica Lavenia

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Spain has been a land of olive trees for centuries. Various Autonomous Communities have a very interesting production for types of cultivars and quality, but Andalusia is the heart of the Iberian olive tradition.

With one and a half million hectares of olive groves (plus 11,000 hectares of new olive groves in 2021), Andalusia is the area of the Planet with the highest production of Extra virgin olive oil. A high productivity rate, closely linked to investments in recent decades, especially in the organic and sustainable sectors.

Every corner of this region of southern Spain offers different types of Extra virgin olive oil, all of which share a high quality but distinguished by the different pedo-climatic characteristics that make Andalusian EVOO unique of its kind.

Hacienda de Colchado

Málaga is one of the landmarks with about 100,000 hectares of olive groves that characterize the area.

Specifically, Antequera is the Andalusian city with one of the most important olive productions which, combined with one of the most important artistic and historical heritages in Spain, make the region an ideal destination not just for seaside tourism but also for excellent oleo-tourism visits. History and modernity now make Antequera an ideal destination for long walks, during which tourist can admire over 43 monuments of artistic interest, including churches of various eras and styles.

Hacienda de Colchado

Furthermore, Nature offers one of its most impressive works: the Peña de los Enamorados, a limestone formation wrapped in a legend. According to popular tradition, a young Christian was imprisoned near Granada during the Middle Ages and sent to serve in the home of a wealthy Moorish family. There, he fell in love with his masters’ daughter, who returned his love for him. Forced to keep their affection secret, the couple, once discovered, fled to find shelter in La Peña de los Enamorados. Reached by the girl’s father, the lovers decided to throw themselves down, not being able otherwise to live their love.

In this region, still little known to mass tourism, about 14 km away from Antequera, stands the small village of Cartaojal inhabited by just over a thousand souls. Cartaojal, like the entire Antequera area, boasts an ancient olive-growing tradition, two thousand years old and evidenced by the forty archaeological sites of Roman oil mills that characterize these lands. Here, the former farm of the Counts of Colchado, Hacienda de Colchado, is located. The building is listed as an asset of historical and cultural value by the Junta of Andalucía.

©Hacienda de Colchado

The company has been dedicated for centuries to the cultivation of cereals, until, in the 19th century, with the construction of an oil mill, it converted its production into olive oil. Currently, the farm occupies an area of 310 hectares, with 220 hectares of ancient olive trees and the rest of new plants, which produce an annual average of 800,000 to 1,200,000 kg of olives.

© Hacienda de Colchado

HACIENDA DE COLCHADO:

The Farm has built its name and quality over the years, investing in a fertile area, far from sources of pollution, favoring native varieties, such as, for example, the Hojiblanca.

The production process is the basis of a quality EVOO oil, as the company explains: All our oil comes from local olives, for this reason we check the harvest, the time spent on processing and, therefore, the final quality of the oil. resulting Extra virgin olive oil.

©Hacienda de Colchado- Finca

In the case of LEGADO we only use olives of the Hojiblanca variety, harvested in advance and from olives picked on the fly, by shaking in the mildest hours of the day. This primitive oil comes specifically from the oldest olive trees, located higher up in the rolling hills of the Hacienda de Colchado estate.

In addition to a very high quality olive, time is the key in this process. All our fruit is selected by choosing the healthiest and healthiest olive to proceed with its milling, clean and without leaves or branches, within two hours of its harvest and always by cold extraction at temperatures below 20ºC, obtaining very short times. This is the moment in which our oils are born, concentrating all their aromas and nuances with volatile elements.

©Hacienda de Colchado

They undergo two cleaning processes by centrifugation, which separate liquids from solids. To ensure excellence in the result, once this process is finished, we carry out the tastings of each lot, selecting and classifying the best, storing them in stainless steel tanks for their conservation and subsequent packaging.

©Hacienda de Colchado

COOKING WITH HACIENDA DE COLCHADO EVOO OIL:

Mediterranean cuisine (Spanish and Italian, in particular) has few  but quality ingredients. It is a cuisine that favors local specialties, seasonality, and that considers Extra Virgin Olive Oil not a condiment but the food par excellence.

Hacienda de Colchado artisanal EVOO, by virtue of the production processes, keeps its organoleptic and nutritional properties intact. Monovarietal of the hojiblanca variety is selected during the months of November and December, when the olive is in season. An EVOO with a strong but balanced taste that enhances even the most classic dishes such as a salad with mozzarella.

The virtues of an organic salad from the garden, rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, and decongestant, go perfectly with a soft and fresh mozzarella. The addition of LEGADO EVOO completes a rich and healthy dish. LEGADO EVOO enhances the most delicate flavors, making it particularly ideal for salads and fresh summer dishes.

In the Mediterranean Diet, seasonal salads are not just a side dish but a full-fledged dish. Likewise, in Mediterranean countries, with a long olive-growing tradition, EVOO is the ingredient par excellence and not a condiment.

In the pantry an artisanal EVOO such as LEGADO should never be missing, as it makes the difference, giving a taste full of personality even to the simplest dishes. Added to salads, for example, it does not require the addition of salt and pepper. For a vegan dish, mozzarella can be replaced with natural Tofu, cut into cubes (blanched for ten minutes or as recommended in the package).

In salads, EVOO oil should preferably be added when serving.

© The Wolf Post

About the author

Veronica Lavenia

PhD.
Writer, book author and magazine contributor, some of her works have appeared in the most popular International magazines.
Digital Content Manager and Communication Manager at "The Wolf Post", since the birth of the platform.

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