The Oliduero mill has celebrated the beginning of its harvest with an event organised today in the mill itself, located in the town of Medina del Campo. Visitors were given the chance to look around the Valdecobo Estate which has 76 hectares of arbequina, picual and arbosana olive trees located in Pozaldez. They were able to see the arrival of the olives at the oil mill and the process of extraction of the oil during their visit, as well as attend a tasting session of the Ecological OLIDUERO and OLIDUERO Early Harvest oils. They were also able to enjoy wines from the Bodega EMINA and the WIN alcohol-free wines. In addition, they had the opportunity to taste other gastronomic products from the region such as FISAN acorn-fed Iberian hams, MICA artisan beers or cheeses from CANTAGRULLAS Farmhouse Cheesemakers.
Among the attendees, were the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of the Governing Council of Castile-Leon, Milagros Marcos, the president of the Academy of Gastronomy, Julio Valles and the journalist and food critic José Carlos Capel who was presented with the Gold Badge of Matarromera Family Wineries from the president of the company, Carlos Moro.
This season, Oliduero expects to yield 180,000 kg. of olives during the harvest that will last around ten days and which, according to the technical director of the mill, Alberto Gómez, “will be an average-sized crop of great quality, especially when harvested at this time of year, before the autumn frosts and whilst the olive is still green.” Oliduero creates four types of oil: Oliduero Prestigio, which is a coupage of arbequina and picual, Oliduero Ecológico, monovarietal of picual, Oliduero Consecha Temprana, created with the arbequina variety and Oliduero Secret Blend, a coupage of arbequina, arbosana and picual. All Oliduero oils have obtained at least one recognition in national and international competitions. Among the most important are the CINVE Gold Award which was awarded to the latest edition of Oliduero Prestigio, being the only Castile-Leon oil to have been awarded, and the Grand Prestige Gold of the TerraOlivo International Competition which was awarded this year to Oliduero Secret Blend and Oliduero Prestigio.
Recognition for a lifetime dedicated to gastronomy
The president of Bodegas also belongs to Bodegas Familiares Matarromera, in which the president of the company, Carlos Moro, has presented the Matarromera Gold Badge to the renowned gastronomic critic José Carlos Capel in recognition of his prestigious career in the field of gastronomy in our country and, specifically, for his work in disseminating Spanish extra virgin olive oil .
The Matarromera Gold Badge is the highest distinction awarded by the Valladolid company to different personalities from the business, political, gastronomic or cultural scene who perform outstanding work in the development of a region or country or the growth of a sector.
More information about Oliduero
Bodegas Familiares Matarromera went into the cultivation and business of extra virgin olive oil as a result of a research project that studied how different varieties of olive trees adapted to the soil and climate conditions of Castile-Leon. The company owns 148 hectares dedicated to olive cultivation in the provinces of Valladolid and Zamora, including the olive trees that the company has been planting in recent years.
The cultivation system is super intensive which allows many plants per hectare with a good yield. The harvesting is carried out with machines that take the olive directly from the olive trees, avoiding the olives falling to the ground. The transport to the oil mill is done immediately so that the olives can be processed fresh and it allows them, through a process of cold extraction, to maintain their natural qualities.
Almazara Oliduero, located in Medina del Campo in the vicinity of Bodega Emina Rueda, was started up in 2014 by Bodegas Familiares Matarromera. It was designed with sustainable criteria and has a biomass boiler with which it heats the facilities thanks to the olive pits with which it is fed. It also has a photovoltaic installation as well as a closed water cycle.
The olive-oil mill is also a tourist attraction as it is open to those interested in learning about the olive-oil milling process, visiting an olive-oil mill with a guide, tasting extra virgin olive oils or buying top-of-the-range oils. Bodega Emina Rueda also combines it with all the possibilities offered by the winery: tastings, tasting courses, visits, etc.
