6 of the Finest- Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar

No summer salad is complete without the finest olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and only the best will do for dipping your bread.

So how do you choose the 'Finest' Balsamic Vinegar? Well for one, you have to go for an Italian source! Then you have to find the place in Italy which is most famous for the manufacturing or balsamic vinegar, and that would be the city of Modena. Then you have to find the family run company which has the most experience and that leads you to the Giusti family who have been making Balsamic vinegar since 1605!

BALSAMIC VINEGAR

1) Giusti 3 Gold Medals Organic Balsamic Vinegar

This is the organic version of the most versatile Balsamic Vinegar of Giusti's Historical Collection. The Organic 3 Gold Medals is a dense and sweet product. It is obtained from sweet, sun-dried grapes and wine vinegar from organic farming.

Tasting Notes: The aromas and flavours of plum jam and red fruits intertwine with hints of honey and vanilla in a considerably dense and sweet product.

2) Giusti Truffle Balsamic Vinegar

For something deliciously different and born from the encounter of Giusti 3 Gold Medals with truffles, this dense condiment is mellow, intense and persistent. The dehydrated black truffle is infused within wooden casks containing Balsamic Vinegar, until a complete balance of flavours is achieved.

Tasting Notes: The aromas and flavours of plum jam and red fruits of the 3 Gold medals meet the aromatic notes of the truffle for an extremely enveloping taste.

3) Giusti Scrigno 10 Bottle Gift Set of Balsamic Vinegar

Giusti Scrigno 10 Bottle Gift Box Set of Balsamic Vinegar

For those of us who can't decide which of these special balsamic vinegars to try or for those of us who want to give a very special gift to a friend this is the ultimate selection.

This gift set was developed after the world-famous late tenor, Luciano Pavarotti asked for one for a charity auction. The Giusti family created the “Scrigno”, a precious wooden box containing the entire historical collection in the classic “Champagnotta” bottle, alongside five premium condiments with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena aged in single barrels of oak, cherry, chestnut, mulberry and juniper. Now you can get one from us too if you live in the UK.

OLIVE OIL

We all know that Olive Oil contains healthy compounds like polyphenols which are a type of antioxidant -So how do you choose the 'Finest' Olive Oil? Well that is a very hard question to answer because olive oil is just like wine in many respects. The olives' flavour are affected by where they are located, the weather conditions and the ground in which they are grown, and the expertise of the harvesting and pressing. So with olive oil being produced in multiple countries like wine, and in multiple regions and under multiple environmental factors we decided to create 5 common denominators to help us curate our selection: 1. The olives must be grown biodynamically or organically, 2. The growers need to have considerable experience. 3. No two olive oils in our selection should be from the same country 4. They must be single estate/terroir sourced (not blended with externally sourced product) 5. and most importantly they must taste amazing!

4. 🇫🇷 Château Virant AOP Olive Oil

Château Virant AOP Aix-en-Provence Olive Oil

The PDO* Aix-en-Provence Château Virant olive oil has been awarded the gold medal at the Concours Général Agricole de Paris, making it the most awarded oil in France. *(PDO- Protected Designation of Origin or in French: AOP- Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée from Haute-Provence)

It comes from the orchards of Château Virant, in the heart of Provence and has been awarded an HVE3 certification by the French government. which can only be obtained after achieving the highest level of environmental certification in France. This label identifies farms that adhere to sustainable production standards and careful management of natural resources.

5. 🇮🇹 Trebbio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Trebbio Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the result of the Corsini family’s project to revive the old Medici villa, Villa Medicea il Trebbio, in Mugello, Tuscany, Italy now a UNESCO world heritage site.

Clemente Corsini and his family are dedicated to farming in a way that protects the land, using organic and biodynamic methods to yield exceptional produce. Trebbio is made using the local olive varieties found on the Tuscan estate surrounding the villa. Each variety of olive is harvested early and cold pressed at their mill straight after picking. The resulting monovarietal oils are blended to create a peppery and intense, typically Tuscan, olive oil.

6. 🇬🇷 Itania Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Itania is a Premium quality, Organic, Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Crete, Greece. It's lovingly produced by the Tziralki family- a mother and two daughters and comes from their own family-run organic estate so it's pure and authentic and not blended with other oils.

They cultivate their trees under certified organic standards, to protect their environment and to deliver the best possible quality product.

In case you are wondering, this packaging is a recyclable tin. The tin doesn't allow any light penetration so helps to preserve its purity. The symbol on their olive oil tin actually came from an ancient Minoan artefact discovered in 1957 in the family’s orchard! A great historical line to be proud of and a delicious product too.

Remember that when you buy anything from us, we donate at least 1% of the product order value to 1% For The Planet.

#MinimiseOurHumanFootprint

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