Thank you to Az. Agricola Virzì for sending us their SolOlio EVOO.
| Producer | Az. Agr. Virzì |
| Crop Year | 2019/2020 |
| Cultivar | Verdello 100% |
| Region | Sicily (Messina) |
| Harvesting Method | Handpicking |
| Extraction Method | Continuous |
| Milling | Within 6 hours of collection |
| Certification | Bio – Organic |
| Tasted on | June 2020 |
Tasting SolOlio means to discover a cultivar and a part of Sicily little known to most people; the EVOO is produced using a very exclusive and delicate Sicilian cultivar mainly grown in the province of Messina, the Verdello. SolOlio has a medium-light intensity on the nose, with tones of tomato followed by delicate green vegetable perfumes which make the olive oil extremely pleasant to the taste; its bitterness feels delicate, and its pungency enriches the consistency and permanence of SolOlio in the mouth after the tasting.
SolOlio can balance the taste of many different dishes with a delicate flavour without covering the taste of the ingredients… which is not a task for just any EVOO! That is why we used SolOlio for the preparation of a tasty homemade recipe – find out which one and why in our review.
Also, read the reviews for l’Olio di casa Virzì and Lapillo by Virzì here.
Appearance & Visual Analysis
SolOlio appears of a bright lemon yellow colour, enriched by light green hues visible in each drop.
Scents & Olfactory analysis
Tomato Leaf Green Tomato Rocket Lettuce Chard Pine Nuts Sweet Almonds Jasmine Cinnamon Oregano Basil Celery
In the olfactory analysis, SolOlio shows a good structure and intensity. The scent of tomato introduces us to the olive oil aroma, with hints of green and red tomato and tomato leaves tones; the flavour is then enriched by green vegetable notes of arugula, cut grass, lettuce, chard and celery, along with aromas of dried fruit, pine and almond seeds, floral notes of jasmine, and spicy nuances of cinnamon, oregano and basil.
Tasting: Aromas & Flavours
Pungency
Bitterness
Sweet Almonds Grass Lettuce Red Tomato White Pepper
SolOlio has a very pleasant, elegant light texture in the mouth. The aromas of grass, almond, lettuce and a soft red tomato hint of flavour make up the vegetable soul of this EVOO, which is then followed up by a light spicy note of white pepper. The bitterness is very delicate, and the pungency of SolOlio enriches the consistency and permanence of the EVOO in the mouth after the tasting.
We love it with…
Do you want to know our pairing criteria? Read more on Olive Oil Pairings.
Thanks to its delicate soul, rich in light vegetable notes, SolOlio is an ideal EVOO to pair to dishes based on fish and vegetables.
Starting with appetizers, we recommend using SolOlio on cuttlefish and potatoes, shellfish and sea fish salads, white fish soups (i.e. guazzetto), fish tartare, vegetable pinzimonio, stir-fried vegetables, and potato dishes in general.
SolOlio is also perfect to go on cheese, especially the fresh ones: add it a crudo on mozzarella, giuncata, ricotta, primosale, stracchino and robiola.
SolOlio will also improve the taste of first courses such as pasta or risotto (discover our risotto recipe here) with seafood or vegetables (zucchini, spinach, aubergines), enhancing the aroma of those dishes by adding a pleasant pungency feeling and flavour notes of tomato to your preparations.
Thanks to its elegance, SolOlio can also be perfectly combined to dessert, in particular to fruit cheesecake (so with strawberry, peach or mango), and creamy desserts and puddings such as apple crumble or yoghurt semifreddo.
We have chosen to use SolOlio for a very simple recipe which – when homemade, and made with the high quality EVOO of your choice – may make you change your opinion on it incredibly: mayonnaise. We also prepared a tasty fresh cream of leeks with SolOlio!
SolOlio sustains the structure of the dishes by adding delicate flavour tones of tomatoes and vegetables to the aftertaste, without ever covering the sweet must-have aroma of the sauce and the velvety.
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. Considering all this variety of incredible richness, no wonder that Unesco attributes as many as 7 World Heritage Sites to Sicily. 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.
In Sicily there are 6 EVO Oil PDOs: Valli Trapanesi, Valle del Belice, Val Demone, Val di Mazara, Monti Iblei, Monte Etna. It also has one PGI: Sicily.
Also read other regions.
Cultivar / Olive variety
Verdello
Verdello is a native Sicilian variety of olive which can be mainly found in the province of Messina. Verdello olive trees are not very resistant to low temperatures and peacock spot diseases. At the organoleptic analysis, Verdello olive oils show hints of tomato leaves, thistle, freshly cut grass and green almond, along with less common flavour tones of green apple and aromatic herbs.
Also read more on other cultivars.