It was the usual rush by taxi from Barajas airport to catch the fast train to Cordoba from Atocha Station in Madrid. Always allowing more than adequate time for this simple transfer, I must have a jinx with landing in Madrid. The airport is magnificent but its sheer size provides many opportunities for things to go amiss. My luggage was lost again, to be found lonely on a carousel well away from the designated one. The staff were helpful and most apologetic, and the taxi driver stretched the limits.
With minutes to spare I settled into the comfortable seat on the train and watched as the sprawling outskirts of Madrid flashed past. I have done this trip many times but never tire of the opening plains with their patchwork of olive groves. A guest of the Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil Association, I was on my way to their congress in Cordoba where their new international quality movement QvExtra! was to be launched.
In the lead up my hosts had arranged a few days of visits with the olive producers whose extra virgin olive oils we frequently taste on the International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savantes programme. These olive oils consistently win the highest awards at the many international competitions held around the world and I am looking forward to meeting the millers and blenders.
Arriving in Cordoba it was a short taxi ride to the hotel and a nights rest to overcome the jet-lag which is always the legacy of the long flight from Australia.
In the morning I meet Soledad Serrano Lopez, Presidencia of QvExtra!, accomplished equestrian and the driving force behind the revitalisation of Finca Duernas, the Serrano-López family estate near Cordoba. Soledad is gracious in her greeting, as she is in everything. As the Presidencia of QvExtra she has the challenging task of uniting producers of high quality extra virgin olive oil around the world, a task that will require all her obvious diplomatic skill and resourcefulness.
We go around the corner to the well known and very Spanish Omunda de Alicia, Plaza de la Trinidad 4, for breakfast. There followed an animated discussion on the challenges of the olive oil industry in general and in particular the ambitious agenda of QvExtra! to create a cohesive international quality movement.
Left to right) Simon Field, Soledad Serrano Lopez, Tala Saket and ‘Pepe’ Josemaria Serrano Lopez at the QvExtra! Lunch in Cordoba
After breakfast I met Soledad’s office staff. A tightly knit group of women who not only support the Duernas Oleum extra virgin olive oil brand but also provide the administration for QvExtra! Soledad quips that the main qualification to work in the office is to be a mother with at least one child!
Later I am collected from the hotel by Manuel Heredia Halcon, Marques of Prado and the principal of Suerte Alta. Manuel is an architect by profession, erudite and the secretary of QvExtra! We drive the relatively short distance to Duernas Oleum where we are met by Josemaria Serrano Lopez, Soledad’s brother and better known as ‘Pepe’.
Pepe, who is responsible for the production of the extra virgin olive oil, gives us a tour of the mill where the olives are crushed and oil extracted. The facility is working as the harvest is not quite over. The aroma is of fresh extra virgin olive oil, once experienced never forgotten. From there we go out into the groves to watch the harvesting and on to a high point where we get a good view of the farm and the water reticulation system. It is extremely dry and the trees on the higher ground are suffering, despite the olive tree being extraordinarily resilient in its ability to extract almost all the moisture from the soil and survive the driest of conditions.
Pepe describing the water reticulation system at Finca Duernas
We return to the homestead for lunch. Tapas and fine Spanish wine in front of an olive wood fire in a stately room that breathes history from the tiled floor to the high beams from which are suspended generations of cowbells.
Lunch at Finca Duernas
We taste the extra virgin olive oil, Duernas Oleum, made by the Serrano-Lopez family. The varietal is arbequina and the oil is fresh with fruity aromas and titillates the palate with subtle bitter vegetal tastes followed by pepper heat and a nutty almond finish. It is olive oil of quality befitting the Presidencia of QvExtra!
It is late and time to move on with Manuel to his farm Suerte Alta near the small town of Albedin in Baena. I am shown into a grand bedroom in the residencia which has been one of the family homes for generations. Dinner is soon served by Isabella, the housekeeper who makes it her business to meet the needs of the household in a warm and familial way. Manuel and I talk late into the night, getting to know each other while feeling that after many years of communication by email we do in fact know each other already.
I learn about the often turbulent history of the region and the farm which seems to have been positioned along the front battlelines of many campaigns. High on the hills surrounding the farm can be seen the ancient watchtowers which mark these historical delineations. Manuel tells of the time during one campaign when the opposing armies occupied trenches on opposite sides of the house but the house itself was never damaged and on Sundays, altercations ceased while each side in turn partook of the housekeeper’s churros. On each Monday the battle continued with care being taken not to destroy the dwelling. Later, I was to have the pleasure of having Isabella’s churros for breakfast and they made the tale totally believable.
After breakfast the next morning I met Bomba, Manuel’s German Shepherd who diligently guards the courtyard. His friendly demeanour towards me showed that he had detected my love for German Shepherds, the only breed I have ever owned.
Bomba
We set off into the groves to find the harvesters, it was misty and we stopped regularly to track the sound of the tractors. First we found the shakers with canopies which catch the olives as they are dislodged from the tree. Workers beat the tree where recalcitrant olives refuse to be dislodged.
Harvesting with canopies
In another part of the grove the tractor borne shakers grip the tree and vibrate the branches sending the olives flying onto nets which are drawn into a special trailer which collects the olives for despatch to the mill.
In the cool mist the workers greet Manuel without slowing and he is at the receiving end of some friendly banter from his employees. He explains that most of his employees are related to each other and often work shifts in the mill and grove.
A harvester engages Manuel with a little banter
Throughout my stay with Manuel I was struck by the acknowledged interdependence and warm relationship of the owner and the workers and their families. A relationship which must be tested at times when the production and price of extra virgin olive oil hits inevitable lows.
Next we went to the famed Suerte Alta Mill. Both the head miller, Paco, and the facility have been recognised with numerous awards for excellence. As mentioned before, Manuel is an architect who left his practice in Madrid to take responsibility for the hereditary home and the associated groves and olive oil business. He has applied his architectural vision and skill to the design of the processing mill and the packaging of the Suerte Alta extra virgin olive oil.
Everything in the Suerte Alta mill is stainless steel – even the spiral staircase to the cellar
The Suerte Alta packaging in stylish crystal glass bottles reflects the respect for and the quality of the extra virgin olive oil it contains. Cortijo de Suerte Alta Coupage Natural is a blend of picudo, picual and hojiblanca from an old grove where the trees are interplanted and harvested together to give the blend – a ‘natural grove blend’. Picual Enviro is as the name states from the cultivar picual. Enviro denotes the organic status of the entire operation.
The Suerte Alta packaging respects the quality of the contents – in the tasting cellar.
We taste the new season’s oils from the storage tanks. The Coupage Natural is robust and complex with aromas of green and ripe tomato intermingled with fresh herbs including flat leaf parsley and a hint of garlic. It tastes of bitter radicchio, sorrel with tannin and building radish heat and long chilli tingling finish coming forward on the palate. With good length, balance and harmony – it is a show winner. The Picual Enviro is less intense with aromas of green and ripe tomato, citrus and garlic. The palate is a little creamier with bitter tastes of Belgian endive, cress heat and a finish of creamy macadamia nuts with a lingering chilli pepper tingling forward on the palate. It is also balanced, harmonious and complex.
Manuel and Paco
The day ends with another of Isabella’s tasty dinners and a few more hours of conversation at the table with Manuel. He tells me of his project to chronicle the family history from box upon box of archives discovered on his father’s passing. He shows me the room where he does this work – furnished in the period to help set the mood.
I think today is Saturday. Up early to communicate with home via skype in front of the olive wood fire already set by Isabella, and then after breakfast Manuel takes me to Priego de Cordoba. There I meet Pilar Guerrero, the marketing manager for Almazaras de la Subbetica. On the way we see many families out in their groves on the weekend harvesting and the roads are clogged with every manner of conveyance from tractor to family car towing trailer loads of olives destined for crushing for oil.
In contrast to Finca Duernum and Suerte Alta which are family owned, Almazaras de la Subbetica is a cooperative of around 4,000 families. Pilar shows me the mill which is in Priego de Cordoba with the backdrop of the Sierra Subbetica National Park. The main varietals grown are hojiblanca and picudo with all the production and quality of the various farms dictating the delivery bin at the mill. This differentiation offers the farmers incentives to improve the quality of their delivery.
Sierras Subbetica rise behind the receival shed at Rincon de la Subbetica
In the offices we meet Jose Antonio Nieto, the general manager, and I have the privilege of tasting the new season varietals and blends. Rincon de la Subbetica is one of the most awarded extra virgin olive oil in all the world’s competitions. The oil is one of the most aromatic I have tasted and the aroma of fresh green and ripe tomatoes, citrus and honey fills the room when a bottle is opened. The tastes are of fresh bitter herbs, hot cress and a complex unrolling of pepperiness from hot radish to tingling chilli. The oil has a nutty walnut finish and has great length. As someone once described it at Savantes – there is a whole meal of tastes going on in the mouth! Jose Antonio explained how the olive oil from various soils and altitudes were blended to consistently deliver this outstanding product.
Pilar Guerrero in the cellar at Rincon de la Subbetica.
A visit to the ‘cellar’ with all the storage tanks lined up like stainless steel silos was a revelation in the role the local Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) system plays. Not only is the production process meticulous, but the control of the product is also extremely strict. All the storage tanks are sealed and monitored by the Priego de Cordoba Protected Denomination of Origin with all movements recorded and accounted for. This ensures that customers truly get the product they pay for.
Pilar then took me to the next significant enterprise in the locality – Mueloliva. I first met the Muela family four years ago when I visited their old mill while presenting Savantes in Seville. A family business, Mueloliva has reinvigourated their enterprise by building a new processing complex and shifting the emphasis from production of bulk to high quality extra virgin olive oil. In four years they have been highly successful with their flagship Venta Del Baron being the most awarded extra virgin olive oil in all competitions worldwide in 2013. Their new processing mill is also in Priego de Cordoba in the Sierras Subbetica and this is where I met with Rafael Muela.
The view of the Sierras Subbetica from Mueloliva
After a tour of the modern facility we tasted the new season Venta de Baron. As in previous years the extra virgin olive oil is set to be a show winner. A blend of hojiblanca and picudo, the robust and complex oil has fresh aromas of green and ripe tomato, sweet basil, flat leaf parsley, honeydew melon and orange zest. On the palate there are bitter tastes of sorrel and cress followed by wasabi and radish heat. The finish is of nutty bitter globe artichoke hearts with tingling chilli heat advancing on the palate. It has outstanding length, balance and harmony. It is another classic extra virgin olive oil from Priego de Cordoba PDO.
On the way back to Suerte Alta I discover that Rafael hasn’t seen Manuel’s mill so that is the first stop. It is a great pleasure to see two masters of their profession and trade discussing the finer points of producing some of the world’s best extra virgin olive oils.
Manuel explains the operation of his mill to Rafael Muela
The final day with Manuel is a Sunday and it starts with a great treat – Isabella’s churros. They are delicious and made with a special kitchen utensil which has been passed down through Manuel’s family and is now hard to find.
Full of churros dipped in chocolate we go for a tour of the areas of the farm which I have not seen. I note that there are new varieties being planted to add another dimension to Suerte Alta products and see the huge dam which is the source of the farm’s irrigation water. We then go to Baena and visit the archaeological museum which contains artefacts from pre-history through Iberian, Roman and Muslim times. We then relax in the square with a cool Alhambra beer or two with a backdrop of sculptures commemorating the workers in the olive groves.
Olive grove workers are commemorated with sculptures in the park in Baena
The following day we return to Cordoba to prepare for the QvExtra! Congress. It has been an enlightening tour of some of the enterprises that produce excellent extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is not only a natural, flavoursome and healthy liquid, it is also the lives and passions of those that nurture the trees, harvest, extract and blend the oil. This is where it differs from the broadacre production of other vegetable oils, where size and mechanisation take the place of history and tradition.
In this region of Spain there is a community of spirit which has been tested by droughts, floods and disease. More recently, reputations of brands have been sullied by generalised stories of fraud and corruption, many unsubstantiated. In response to this and with justifiable pride in their professionalism and expertise, this group of producers of extra virgin olive oil has rallied to initiate a worldwide movement aiming to restore the reputation of extra virgin olive as the finest and most sought after of all vegetable oils. While accepting that this is an ambitious grass roots push, I have no doubt that my hosts have the determination, expertise and resourcefulness to have a real impact with their endeavour through QvExtra!
With minutes to spare I settled into the comfortable seat on the train and watched as the sprawling outskirts of Madrid flashed past. I have done this trip many times but never tire of the opening plains with their patchwork of olive groves. A guest of the Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil Association, I was on my way to their congress in Cordoba where their new international quality movement QvExtra! was to be launched.
In the lead up my hosts had arranged a few days of visits with the olive producers whose extra virgin olive oils we frequently taste on the International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savantes programme. These olive oils consistently win the highest awards at the many international competitions held around the world and I am looking forward to meeting the millers and blenders.
Arriving in Cordoba it was a short taxi ride to the hotel and a nights rest to overcome the jet-lag which is always the legacy of the long flight from Australia.
In the morning I meet Soledad Serrano Lopez, Presidencia of QvExtra!, accomplished equestrian and the driving force behind the revitalisation of Finca Duernas, the Serrano-López family estate near Cordoba. Soledad is gracious in her greeting, as she is in everything. As the Presidencia of QvExtra she has the challenging task of uniting producers of high quality extra virgin olive oil around the world, a task that will require all her obvious diplomatic skill and resourcefulness.
We go around the corner to the well known and very Spanish Omunda de Alicia, Plaza de la Trinidad 4, for breakfast. There followed an animated discussion on the challenges of the olive oil industry in general and in particular the ambitious agenda of QvExtra! to create a cohesive international quality movement.
Left to right) Simon Field, Soledad Serrano Lopez, Tala Saket and ‘Pepe’ Josemaria Serrano Lopez at the QvExtra! Lunch in Cordoba
After breakfast I met Soledad’s office staff. A tightly knit group of women who not only support the Duernas Oleum extra virgin olive oil brand but also provide the administration for QvExtra! Soledad quips that the main qualification to work in the office is to be a mother with at least one child!
Later I am collected from the hotel by Manuel Heredia Halcon, Marques of Prado and the principal of Suerte Alta. Manuel is an architect by profession, erudite and the secretary of QvExtra! We drive the relatively short distance to Duernas Oleum where we are met by Josemaria Serrano Lopez, Soledad’s brother and better known as ‘Pepe’.
Pepe, who is responsible for the production of the extra virgin olive oil, gives us a tour of the mill where the olives are crushed and oil extracted. The facility is working as the harvest is not quite over. The aroma is of fresh extra virgin olive oil, once experienced never forgotten. From there we go out into the groves to watch the harvesting and on to a high point where we get a good view of the farm and the water reticulation system. It is extremely dry and the trees on the higher ground are suffering, despite the olive tree being extraordinarily resilient in its ability to extract almost all the moisture from the soil and survive the driest of conditions.
Pepe describing the water reticulation system at Finca Duernas
We return to the homestead for lunch. Tapas and fine Spanish wine in front of an olive wood fire in a stately room that breathes history from the tiled floor to the high beams from which are suspended generations of cowbells.
Lunch at Finca Duernas
We taste the extra virgin olive oil, Duernas Oleum, made by the Serrano-Lopez family. The varietal is arbequina and the oil is fresh with fruity aromas and titillates the palate with subtle bitter vegetal tastes followed by pepper heat and a nutty almond finish. It is olive oil of quality befitting the Presidencia of QvExtra!
It is late and time to move on with Manuel to his farm Suerte Alta near the small town of Albedin in Baena. I am shown into a grand bedroom in the residencia which has been one of the family homes for generations. Dinner is soon served by Isabella, the housekeeper who makes it her business to meet the needs of the household in a warm and familial way. Manuel and I talk late into the night, getting to know each other while feeling that after many years of communication by email we do in fact know each other already.
I learn about the often turbulent history of the region and the farm which seems to have been positioned along the front battlelines of many campaigns. High on the hills surrounding the farm can be seen the ancient watchtowers which mark these historical delineations. Manuel tells of the time during one campaign when the opposing armies occupied trenches on opposite sides of the house but the house itself was never damaged and on Sundays, altercations ceased while each side in turn partook of the housekeeper’s churros. On each Monday the battle continued with care being taken not to destroy the dwelling. Later, I was to have the pleasure of having Isabella’s churros for breakfast and they made the tale totally believable.
After breakfast the next morning I met Bomba, Manuel’s German Shepherd who diligently guards the courtyard. His friendly demeanour towards me showed that he had detected my love for German Shepherds, the only breed I have ever owned.
Bomba
We set off into the groves to find the harvesters, it was misty and we stopped regularly to track the sound of the tractors. First we found the shakers with canopies which catch the olives as they are dislodged from the tree. Workers beat the tree where recalcitrant olives refuse to be dislodged.
Harvesting with canopies
In another part of the grove the tractor borne shakers grip the tree and vibrate the branches sending the olives flying onto nets which are drawn into a special trailer which collects the olives for despatch to the mill.
In the cool mist the workers greet Manuel without slowing and he is at the receiving end of some friendly banter from his employees. He explains that most of his employees are related to each other and often work shifts in the mill and grove.
A harvester engages Manuel with a little banter
Throughout my stay with Manuel I was struck by the acknowledged interdependence and warm relationship of the owner and the workers and their families. A relationship which must be tested at times when the production and price of extra virgin olive oil hits inevitable lows.Next we went to the famed Suerte Alta Mill. Both the head miller, Paco, and the facility have been recognised with numerous awards for excellence. As mentioned before, Manuel is an architect who left his practice in Madrid to take responsibility for the hereditary home and the associated groves and olive oil business. He has applied his architectural vision and skill to the design of the processing mill and the packaging of the Suerte Alta extra virgin olive oil.
Everything in the Suerte Alta mill is stainless steel – even the spiral staircase to the cellar
The Suerte Alta packaging in stylish crystal glass bottles reflects the respect for and the quality of the extra virgin olive oil it contains. Cortijo de Suerte Alta Coupage Natural is a blend of picudo, picual and hojiblanca from an old grove where the trees are interplanted and harvested together to give the blend – a ‘natural grove blend’. Picual Enviro is as the name states from the cultivar picual. Enviro denotes the organic status of the entire operation.
The Suerte Alta packaging respects the quality of the contents – in the tasting cellar.
We taste the new season’s oils from the storage tanks. The Coupage Natural is robust and complex with aromas of green and ripe tomato intermingled with fresh herbs including flat leaf parsley and a hint of garlic. It tastes of bitter radicchio, sorrel with tannin and building radish heat and long chilli tingling finish coming forward on the palate. With good length, balance and harmony – it is a show winner. The Picual Enviro is less intense with aromas of green and ripe tomato, citrus and garlic. The palate is a little creamier with bitter tastes of Belgian endive, cress heat and a finish of creamy macadamia nuts with a lingering chilli pepper tingling forward on the palate. It is also balanced, harmonious and complex.Manuel and Paco
The day ends with another of Isabella’s tasty dinners and a few more hours of conversation at the table with Manuel. He tells me of his project to chronicle the family history from box upon box of archives discovered on his father’s passing. He shows me the room where he does this work – furnished in the period to help set the mood.
I think today is Saturday. Up early to communicate with home via skype in front of the olive wood fire already set by Isabella, and then after breakfast Manuel takes me to Priego de Cordoba. There I meet Pilar Guerrero, the marketing manager for Almazaras de la Subbetica. On the way we see many families out in their groves on the weekend harvesting and the roads are clogged with every manner of conveyance from tractor to family car towing trailer loads of olives destined for crushing for oil.
In contrast to Finca Duernum and Suerte Alta which are family owned, Almazaras de la Subbetica is a cooperative of around 4,000 families. Pilar shows me the mill which is in Priego de Cordoba with the backdrop of the Sierra Subbetica National Park. The main varietals grown are hojiblanca and picudo with all the production and quality of the various farms dictating the delivery bin at the mill. This differentiation offers the farmers incentives to improve the quality of their delivery.
Sierras Subbetica rise behind the receival shed at Rincon de la Subbetica
In the offices we meet Jose Antonio Nieto, the general manager, and I have the privilege of tasting the new season varietals and blends. Rincon de la Subbetica is one of the most awarded extra virgin olive oil in all the world’s competitions. The oil is one of the most aromatic I have tasted and the aroma of fresh green and ripe tomatoes, citrus and honey fills the room when a bottle is opened. The tastes are of fresh bitter herbs, hot cress and a complex unrolling of pepperiness from hot radish to tingling chilli. The oil has a nutty walnut finish and has great length. As someone once described it at Savantes – there is a whole meal of tastes going on in the mouth! Jose Antonio explained how the olive oil from various soils and altitudes were blended to consistently deliver this outstanding product.
Pilar Guerrero in the cellar at Rincon de la Subbetica.
A visit to the ‘cellar’ with all the storage tanks lined up like stainless steel silos was a revelation in the role the local Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) system plays. Not only is the production process meticulous, but the control of the product is also extremely strict. All the storage tanks are sealed and monitored by the Priego de Cordoba Protected Denomination of Origin with all movements recorded and accounted for. This ensures that customers truly get the product they pay for.
Pilar then took me to the next significant enterprise in the locality – Mueloliva. I first met the Muela family four years ago when I visited their old mill while presenting Savantes in Seville. A family business, Mueloliva has reinvigourated their enterprise by building a new processing complex and shifting the emphasis from production of bulk to high quality extra virgin olive oil. In four years they have been highly successful with their flagship Venta Del Baron being the most awarded extra virgin olive oil in all competitions worldwide in 2013. Their new processing mill is also in Priego de Cordoba in the Sierras Subbetica and this is where I met with Rafael Muela.
The view of the Sierras Subbetica from Mueloliva
After a tour of the modern facility we tasted the new season Venta de Baron. As in previous years the extra virgin olive oil is set to be a show winner. A blend of hojiblanca and picudo, the robust and complex oil has fresh aromas of green and ripe tomato, sweet basil, flat leaf parsley, honeydew melon and orange zest. On the palate there are bitter tastes of sorrel and cress followed by wasabi and radish heat. The finish is of nutty bitter globe artichoke hearts with tingling chilli heat advancing on the palate. It has outstanding length, balance and harmony. It is another classic extra virgin olive oil from Priego de Cordoba PDO.
On the way back to Suerte Alta I discover that Rafael hasn’t seen Manuel’s mill so that is the first stop. It is a great pleasure to see two masters of their profession and trade discussing the finer points of producing some of the world’s best extra virgin olive oils.
Manuel explains the operation of his mill to Rafael Muela
The final day with Manuel is a Sunday and it starts with a great treat – Isabella’s churros. They are delicious and made with a special kitchen utensil which has been passed down through Manuel’s family and is now hard to find.
Isabella making churro's
Full of churros dipped in chocolate we go for a tour of the areas of the farm which I have not seen. I note that there are new varieties being planted to add another dimension to Suerte Alta products and see the huge dam which is the source of the farm’s irrigation water. We then go to Baena and visit the archaeological museum which contains artefacts from pre-history through Iberian, Roman and Muslim times. We then relax in the square with a cool Alhambra beer or two with a backdrop of sculptures commemorating the workers in the olive groves.
Olive grove workers are commemorated with sculptures in the park in Baena
The following day we return to Cordoba to prepare for the QvExtra! Congress. It has been an enlightening tour of some of the enterprises that produce excellent extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is not only a natural, flavoursome and healthy liquid, it is also the lives and passions of those that nurture the trees, harvest, extract and blend the oil. This is where it differs from the broadacre production of other vegetable oils, where size and mechanisation take the place of history and tradition.
In this region of Spain there is a community of spirit which has been tested by droughts, floods and disease. More recently, reputations of brands have been sullied by generalised stories of fraud and corruption, many unsubstantiated. In response to this and with justifiable pride in their professionalism and expertise, this group of producers of extra virgin olive oil has rallied to initiate a worldwide movement aiming to restore the reputation of extra virgin olive as the finest and most sought after of all vegetable oils. While accepting that this is an ambitious grass roots push, I have no doubt that my hosts have the determination, expertise and resourcefulness to have a real impact with their endeavour through QvExtra!
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