It is a sweltering summer’s day in Spain’s Andalusia and we are driving towards Ronda, the region’s largest pueblo blanco (white town) boasting a spectacular location atop El Tajo gorge. While the day’s agenda is discovering the historic charm and picturesque puentes (bridges) of compact Ronda on foot, the highlight remains a visit to LA Organic, an olive oil farm meets eccentric experiential f acility located on the town’s fringes.
The history of olives in Andalucia
Andalucia’s relationship to the fabled olive tree dates back to antiquity. While it’s unclear exactly when olives were first cultivated in Spain, it is said that the olive tree Olea Europea was originally introduced into the country by Phoenicians (people from the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean or present Lebanon) and Greeks. However, it is the Romans and the Arabs who are credited with keeping the tradition of olive farming alive by bringing in new varieties of olives and perfecting olive oil production techniques. In fact, the Spanish word for oil “aceite” comes from the Arabic “al-zait” which means “olive juice”. Today, olive tree — a symbol of peace and prosperity and one of the longest-surviving living things — is an intrinsic part of day-to-day life in Andalucia. Many families and rural communities in the region make a living out of growing the finest varieties of olives; a Spanish kitchen is incomplete without a bottle of aceite de oliva and grand festivals and celebrations are planned around the olive harvest season.
While taking a dreamy road trip in the region that produces almost 40 per cent of the world’s supply of olive oil, it is only fitting that we immerse ourselves in its oleo tourism offerings.
An afternoon at LA Organic
After a quick 10 to 15-minute drive from Ronda’s main centre, we are on a route dot - ted with three-hundred-year-old olive trees leading the way to LA Organic’s spacious terracotta-dirt parking lot framed by stone walls adorned with whimsical olive tree photographs by celebrated artists. Our itinerary begins in the avant-garde Greenhouse — a barn wearing a sunshine yellow front painted with large green olive - and olive oil dribbles. Housed within its bright red interiors are a traditional oil mill, a bottling and labelling machine, a mini library and areas dedicated to olive oil tasting sessions and projection of documentaries that give an insight into the art and science of olive oil production.
Nelly Samper from LA Organic suggests we get familiar with the different varieties of olive oils produced by the estate. So, we are escorted to the splendid outdoor bistro and assigned small plastic cups for oil and plates with fresh, house-baked bread for palate cleansing between tastings. “To appreciate and understand the complexities and unique characteristics of olive oil, you must be able to distinguish between mild and robust flavours and aromas,” explains Nelly.
Alongside chilled Tinto de Verano (a refreshing, fizzy blend of red wine and lemony soda) to beat the summer heat, we go from light, balanced and fruity oils that come in cans designed by French industrial architect and designer Philippe Starck to the strong, complex and organic extra virgin olive oils that impart a bold peppery bitterness in the back of the throat. The latter could be compared to the “Gran Reserva” in the world of wine! “Many factors influence the flavours emitted by olive oil including the type of olives used, their ripeness, the growing conditions, and how the oil is stored. Usually, greener, less ripe olives produce the most powerful olive oils,” says Nelly. We are surprised how each variety has a unique taste! “Our olives are cultivated naturally minus any chemical additives or fertilisers, harvested by hand using the traditional method and transported to the mill without delay,” she adds.
Steps to tasting olive oil
Pour two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into the tasting glass (or stemless wine glass).
Cover the glass with your hands and swirl to trap the aromas while keeping the oil warm.
The optimum temperature for olive oil tasting is 28 degrees Celsius.
Open the glass, close your eyes and inhale deeply through your nose.
Place the glass at different levels, from the edge of your nose to the chin and below. This is done to know the intensity of the olive oil.
Slurp and swish in your mouth to emulsify the oil and let it cover your tongue.
Swallow and take note of the flavours.
A treat to all senses
Intrigued to know more, we hop into a golf cart with Nelly who drives us through groves full of ancient olive trees. “It was more than two hundred years ago when the nuns in this area of Ronda began to make olive oil from the fruits of centuries-old olive trees growing on rolling fields, hilltops and mountain sides. The Gómez de Baeza family during their winery tours in Northern Spain realised they could do with olives what La Rioja has done with grapes. So, they bought a patch of land and continued the religious community’s olive farming and production tradition.
Thus, LA Organic came into being,” says Nelly. Today, the 25-hectare finca is home to 9,000 olive trees of 20 varieties; the dominant of which are Hojiblanca, Oliana, Arbequina, Picual and Picudo. There is also an Arab-style fruit and vegetable garden and an organic vineyard dedicated to the Pinot Noir variety which will be crafted into fine wine by renowned winemaker Michel Rolland. After all, wine and olives go well together!
Among other highlights of the tour are an austere 19th-century chapel donated to the estate by the widow Doña Lola and the Six Surprises by Starck — outdoor architectural elements like mirrors and frames that alter the notion of space. However, the show-stopper is the rust-coloured La Almazara, a one-of-a-kind designer olive press and museum and another Starck brainchild. With striking local symbols like the bull-fighting horn and the olive, the façade of the soon-to-be-inaugurated, unconventional building is an ode to Andalucia.
From the viewpoint near Cortijo LA Organic, a tastefully restored 19th-century country house, we lose ourselves in the surreal views of Sierra de Grazalema, Serrania de Ronda and the property’s shimmering, silver olive groves. No wonder artists like Van Gogh found beauty in the olive trees and created a series of paintings, trying to capture its gnarly shapes!
Story by Shikha Shah