. The Oliduero oil brand, which belongs to Bodegas Familiares Matarromera, has won the gold award at the CINVE awards thanks to its Oliduero Prestigio extra virgin olive oil. It is the only brand from Castile and León, and from the north of Spain in general, to have been recognised in these awards. This reference product was chosen for the gold award in the IX Edition of Virgin Olive Oil Tastings, which was included in the International Wine and Spirits Competition (‘Concurso Internacional de Vinos y Espirituosos’ or CINVE in Spanish), by different specialist journalists and industry professionals. This competition involved the participation of 700 wines and oils from 17 different countries.
Oliduero Prestigio is an extra virgin olive oil crafted from the Picual and Arbequina olive varieties, which are taken from the company’s own olive groves located in Pozaldez, Toro. Cultivation of these olives is highly intensive, which ensures profitability by distributing many different plants across the same area. Harvesting takes place using machines which gather the olives directly from the tree, preventing them from falling to the ground and risking damage. Transportation to the Oliduero oil press takes place immediately, which means that the olives are pressed while fresh, and a cold-extraction process ensures that the innate qualities of the olives are not lost. Oliduero Prestigio has an intense green colour with bright highlights and it releases an intense fruity aroma of green olive with light vegetable notes. It is intense on the palate with a strong, spicy, bitter sensation owing to the coupage of the olive varieties. The texture is dense, with a persistent spiciness and a characteristic aftertaste.
The company owns 140 hectares of land in Valladolid and Zamora which are dedicated to olive cultivation. The company moved further into cultivating and selling extra virgin olive oil after completing a research project which lasted for years and aimed at better understanding how different varieties of olives adapt to the soil and weather conditions of Castile and León. Carlos Moro, president of the Valladolid company, underlined that “these oils are of an excellent quality because, despite it being necessary to collect the olives earlier than usual to avoid the risk of potential icy spells in autumn, these olives have a high polyphenol content, with very strong organoleptic qualities. This makes the oils themselves exquisite.” In this competition, awards were also given to other reference products produced by the group, including the CM 2015 Rioja wine, which won a gold award, and the Emina Crianza and Oinoz by Claude Gros wines which won silver.
Oliduero Oil Press
The Oliduero oil press, located in Medina del Campo in the immediate surroundings of the Bodega Emina Rueda wine cellar, was launched in 2014 by Bodegas Familiares Matarromera. It was designed according to sustainability criteria and it features a biomass boiler which heats the facilities using olive stones as fuel. It also has a photovoltaic installation, as well as a closed water cycle.
In the latest campaign, Olidero harvested over 160,000 kilos of olives which were used to make four reference products: Oliduero Prestigio, which is a coupage of Arbequina and Picual varieties, Oliduero Ecológico, a single-variety Picual oil, Oliduero Cosecha Temprana, created using the Arbequina variety, and Oliduero Secret Blend, a coupage of Arbequina, Arbosana and Picual varieties. All of the Oliduero reference products have received at least one award in national and international competitions. 70% of Oliduero’s sales take place in specialised shops, department stores, Bodegas Familiares Matarromera shops and the online store wanawine.com. The remaining 30% of Oliduero’s production is exported, mainly to countries such as the United States, Mexico, Germany and China.
Olive Oil Tourism
The oil press is also an important resource in terms of tourism, since it is open to those members of the general public that wish to learn more about the process of pressing the olives, to see and better understand an oil press, to sample extra virgin olive oils or to purchase oils.
Bodega Emina Rueda combines this resource with all of the other opportunities that the wine cellar provides: tastings, wine tasting courses, visits and so on.
