While slightly later than usual to arrive, we are very pleased to stock the latest Monterosa Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil from their Jan 2021 pressing. It is superbly fresh to taste, with a velvety texture and is ideally suited to pairing with milder foods. This first class Portuguese Single Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a treat for any lover of Olive Oil.
The 2021 harvest has produced a mild flavoured Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the Estate. We would recommend that mild olive oils are paired with other mild flavoured foods such as fish dishes or gentle green salad leaves.
Our milder flavoured fruit vinegars, such as Gooseberry, Apple or Elderflower would also compliment this oil very well. Try dressing seafood such as Octopus and Sardines after cooking, they will be delicious. Crack a small amount of salt over your salad or dish to fully bring out the flavour of the olive oil.
In April 2015 Frances and I visited the Eastern Algarve with a view to understanding better the well known Portuguese art of growing olives and producing some very fine olive oil. We had the fortune to visit the Monterosa Estate in person and meet with Antonio Duarte, who helps manage the Estate. The weather that day was particularly Scottish, with unseasonal wind and heavy rain. Antonio's passion for his Estate and knowledge of olive oil production seemed to know no bounds, and he even claimed to enjoy the rain as the olives were liking it!
Traditionally within Portugal the Algarve, which lies to the South of the Country, is not actually best known for its production of olive oil. However, as we found out, times are changing fast and our discovery of the beautifully maintained Monterosa Estate in the Eastern Algarve near Moncarapacho is evidence that first class olive oil has arrived in the South of Portugal.
The Monterosa Estate is family run and has about 20 acres of olive groves which were planted in 2000. It is therefore young in comparison with many other Estates in the North of the Country. Four local varieties of olive were planted, Maçanilha, Cobrançosa, Verdeal and Picual of which all produce interesting and complex tasting olive oils. When ripe, the Monterosa olives are carefully picked by hand and pressed the same day in the Estates own historical granite stone mill which dates back to Roman times.
The care and attention to detail in the olive oil extraction and bottling is impressive, and if any proof were needed of this, the extreme quality of the olive oil that has been produced is it. We can recommend the Algarve of Portuagal as as a place to visit in early Spring, full of friendly people and some very beautiful scenery in the hills.
The good news is that currently our mail order services are running normally and on time.
We are currently offering FREE* Economy delivery to any UK mainland addresses for orders over £40, saving you £4.95.
See our Shipping Policy for more details.
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Sourcing and developing new products often involves us heading to the hedgerows
Demijohn
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