Thank you to Az. Agricola Virzì for sending us their EVOOs.
| Producer | Az. Agricola Virzì |
| Crop Year | 2019/2020 |
| Cultivar | Nocellara Etnea, Biancolilla, Ogliarola Messinese |
| Region | Sicily (Messina) |
| Harvesting Method | Handpicking |
| Extraction Method | Continuous |
| Certification | Bio – Organic |
| Tasted on | May 2020 |
L’olio di casa Virzì (literally “Virzì’s house olive oil”) is a quality example of organic olive oil production in Sicily; it is a blend of the Nocellara Etnea, Biancolilla and Ogliarola Messinese cultivars, and expresses all the elegance and sophistication of these varieties and the Sicilian terroir. The land where these olive trees grow is even more characteristic, with the magnificent silhouette of the Etna volcano in sight, a landmark which also contributes to enriching the terrain of the area. L’olio di casa Virzì’s medium intensity on the nose is expressed by fruity and floral tones of apple, freshly cut grass, sweet almond and tomato leaves. Bitterness and spiciness are gentle in the mouth, further making this EVOO a perfect pair to many dishes… even ice cream!
Also read our review of “Lapillo” and “Sololio“.
Appearance & Visual Analysis
L’olio di Casa Virzì is of a bright lemon yellow colour, with honey gold highlights.
Scents & Olfactory analysis
Yellow & Green Apple Zagara Grass Pine Nuts Sweet Almonds Chard Oregano Tomato Leaf Tangerine
L’olio di Casa Virzì releases its scents to the nose softly and gently. The aromas of flowers and fruits are immediately recognizable – in particular, we perceive notes of yellow and green apple bonded together to a light tangerine scent, instantly followed by elegant hints of fruits and lemon flowers. We can also find notes of freshly cut grass, along with hints of dried fruits such as pine seeds and sweet almond, and the vegetal flavours of chard and tomato leaves. The perfumes of Mediterranean pot herbs (e.g. oregano) complete the olfactory picture.
Tasting: Aromas & Flavours
Pungency
Bitterness
Majoran Sweet Almonds Grass Artichoke
On the palate, Casa Virzì is really elegant, with its balanced flavors of grass, sweet almond and artichoke. In the aftertaste, delicious aromas of marjoram complete the taste of the EVO oil.
The bitterness is very delicate, followed by an elegant and medium pungency, perceptible in the throat.
We love it with…
Thanks to its elegance in flavour and aromas, Casa Virzì doesn’t cover the taste of the long list of dishes which it can be paired to, adding a pleasant spiciness to every recipe.
We recommend it with delicate fish such as raw fish, prawn, monkfish, sea bream and European sea bass. Fish can be baked or stewed, but we advise to add Casa Virzì “a crudo”, after the cooking.
Casa Virzì is also delicious for the preparation of exquisite risottos such as risotto with four cheeses or risotto with vegetables (e.g. chicory or beetroot cream) or with a mix of vegetables like fresh peppers, courgettes, aubergines, carrots, peas; this EVOO results also excellent on soups made with fresh spring vegetables. We combined Casa Virzì EVOO with a vegetarian risotto, prepared with fresh chard cream: it gave the dish a delicate pungency, while also enriching it with elegant vegetable and floral notes.
Experiment Casa Virzì EVOO for the preparation of a sponge cake dessert, with a fresh fiordilatte gelato on the side: it will be an unexpectedly perfect combination, with Casa Virzì accompanying the permanence of the gelato in the mouth while also helping in the final cleaning of the palate.
Az. Agricola Virzì
Azienda Agricola Virzì was established as a result and accomplishment of a heartfelt passion handed down from father to son for four generations. Love for nature and a strong connection with their land are the secrets of the company’s quality production, made in full respect of tradition, and aiming to the creation of a top-quality product. Azienda Agricola Virzì is located just a few kilometres from Bronte, in the contrada Bolo-Malamogliera, dominated by the sight of the Etna volcano.
The olive grove lies down on a hilly, sunny land, made of secular olive trees of the Nocellara etnea, Biancolilla and Ogliarola messinese varieties, cultivated in 100% biological agriculture – no pesticide or chemical fertilizer. The olives are handpicked at the correct degree of maturation, and grounded by “cold method” (so, mechanically pressed) within the 12 following hours.
AZIENDA AGRICOLA VIRZÌ
Contrada Bolo Malamogliera
98033 Cesarò (Me)
Sicily – Italy
Tel: +39 339 353 2435
+39 392 668 3570
Azienda Agricola Virzì Website
Terroir & Region
Sicily
Sicily is one of the two main Italian islands, a land where every province, city and corner is unique. This extraordinary heterogeneity is also recognisable in the gastronomic products (i.e. wines, tomatoes, citrus, eggplants and many delicious recipes) which make the island famous all over the world. Discover other regions.
Cultivar / Olive Variety
Nocellara Etnea, Biancolilla, Ogliarola Messinese
Biancolilla (also known as Bianca, Bianchetto and Biancolina) is considered one of the oldest Italian olive cultivars. The name Biancolilla comes from the color of the drupes, which during veraison changes from a very light green to purple. Most commonly, Biancolilla gives its EVOOs a delicate fruity flavor, combined with hints of almond, artichoke and tomato.
Nocellara Etnea is a typical Sicilian cultivar also known as Augghialora, Paturnisa and Tortorella. It is mainly found in the areas around the Etna volcano. Nocellara Etnea is an auto-sterile cultivar, and so needs to be pollinated by other cultivars (i.e. Biancolilla and Moresca). Nocellara Etnea typically confers its EVOOs green tomato, herb, almond, thistle and artichoke flavours.
The Ogliarola Messinese is an autochthonous Sicilian cultivar, which can be mainly found in the provinces of Palermo and Messina; it is also known as Messinese, Terminese, Raffu and Castrense. Ogliarola Messinese olives are widely used as table olives. Ogliarola Messinese gives its EVOOs aromas of freshly cut grass, almond and artichoke.
Discover other cultivars