In Jaén, the first day of the olive harvest has always been a reason for celebration. It has been here and historically in the Mediterranean world of the olive tree.
This is what the writer Juan Eslava Galán remembers on the label that adorns the bottles of extra virgin olive oil Castillo de Canena.
And that is what the author of "In search of the unicornioha" named one of the most unique products of the most prestigious brand of EVO in the world.
"On this sacred day," the writer continues, "The days consecrated the harvest to Athena, goddess of oil and wisdom, and with the olives gathered by the merry pilgrims they made a first grinding whose oil was consecrated to the deity and consumed so much in the lamps of his temple as in the ritual feast of his devotees."
First Day of Harvest meets the Castillo de Canena the thirteenth edition. Its iconic red bottles contain EVO of the Picual and Arbequino varieties, monovarietal which in the words of its makers are this harvest of unquestionable aroma, flavor, and quality. For its elaboration, Castillo de Canena uses the so-called precision agriculture, a scientific way of determining with rigor the best moment for the harvesting of the fruit. The technicians of the brand check in real time the physiological situation of their olive trees and their different needs.
The sibling Rosa and Paco Vañó, heads of Castillo de Canena, underline the unique nature of this first oil that inaugurates the campaign for the collection, processing, and bottling of the rest of its products, including the Family Reserve, the best known of its bottles.
"It is a highly anticipated product throughout the year, a pioneer in its category and whose high-end oils are the result of a careful collection, aroma, flavor, and quality," The two say in their emblematic fortress, built in the mid-16th century by the architect Andrés de Vandelvira for the almighty Francisco de los Cobos, secretary of state of the emperor Charles V.
First Harvest Day has been named after well-known personalities. Sara Navarro, Ainhoa Arteta, Manolo Valdes, Pau Gasol, Alejandro Sanz, Fernando Alonso, Roberto Verino, Raphael, Alex de la Iglesia or Sara Baras. This year the chosen character has been the writer Juan Eslava Galán, a friend of the Vañó family and author of books that are a reference in the world of essay, history, and novel. Juan Eslava Galán, grandson and son of olive-growers, was born and lived his first years in an oil mill in Arjona, the town in Jaén where King Alhamar was born, founder of the Alhambra in Granada. In his plentiful literary production, among his more than eighty books written, there are three essays dedicated to the world of olive and oil. A few days ago, Juan Eslava Galán was received by Rosa and Paco Vañó at the Castillo de Canena. They shared a lunch and tasted the two bottles of Picual and Arbequino. Then they walked through Úbeda. The writer assured that afternoon that the olive oil is a memory of childhood, a persistent and unforgettable aroma, an indelible family memory that persists, that is not erased and that accompanies us until we die.
"Breakfast toast with oils from Jaén, I prepare lunch with oils from Jaén and I finish the dinner with some fruit and a stream of oils from Castillo de Canena", says the writer.
The winner of the Planeta Prize in 1987 has represented in the new labels two Roman coins of the Imperial Hispania, embossed in relief. For the First Picual Harvest Day has included the bust of Emperor Hadrian and for the First Day of Harvest, Arbequino has selected the figure of the owl of the goddess Athena, known in Roman culture as Minerva, next to an olive branch. To the design of the thirteenth anniversary of the collection joins the success obtained in the last edition of the prestigious guide Flos Olei, internationally recognized. This guide has just chosen, for the seventh consecutive year, the extra virgin olive oils of Castillo de Canena as the best in the world, giving them the highest score (99/99 points). An achievement that positions the extra virgin olive oil of Castillo de Canena among the top 20 worldwide.
First Harvest Day is the excellent result of a year the effort of the farmer and a tribute to the mystique of the first juices obtained from the harvest with all its magic and joy.
"Only someone capable of perceiving the magic and beauty of the olive tree and its surroundings, and understanding the effort and dedication that the harvester makes every year to achieve the most fragrant, balanced and complex juices, is capable of capturing the bare space from a label the synthesis of all the emotions and passions that emanate from that special day of harvesting the first olives of the harvest, "
Said Rosa Vañó, Marketing and Commercial Director of Castillo de Canena.
According to Rosa Vañó:
"Since the concept of the First Harvest Day took shape in 2006, we have always tried to ensure that the person we entrusted with designing the label of this special bottle shared the same values of excellence, perseverance and effort Juan Eslava Galán is a grandson and the son of olive-growers, he loves history and has written a lot about it, and in this sense it seems that both concepts are very attuned to our work and to his life and career, who demonstrates his talent as a writer for fifty years."
"This year has been especially complicated since, on the one hand, there has been a marked delay in the state of maturation of the fruits and on the other hand, the precipitations collected from the beginning of the month of October have made the collection difficult", said Francisco Vañó, general director of Castillo de Canena, who pointed out that
"In addition, it has been necessary to wait patiently until reaching a phenological stage of the fruits appropriate to obtain excellent juices."
The First Picual Day is a fragrant oil of intense green color with a high concentration of chlorophylls and a sensory profile quite harmonious despite having a vigorous fruity. It has a great complexity and marked vegetable notes: green tomato, artichoke, green almond, banana skin, and Breva stem. These descriptors prevail against a pleasant spiciness, gently perceptible in the throat, a slight bitterness and discreet astringency. It is a velvety and long juice in the mouth with a minty aftertaste and aromatic herbs of the field.
The First Arbequino Day is a light green and bright oil with golden sparkles. It has a very proportionate organoleptic profile, elegant, sweet, friendly and harmonious. It presents a great diversity of vegetable aromas, especially fresh grass, green almond, and fruit salad, prevailing - in this last descriptor - the green apple and the pear. It also highlights its fluidity and a discreet bitter and spicy in perfect harmony with the fresh and sweet notes that are present in this juice. Its aftertaste is persistent almond with a light touch of pepper in throat very airy. It also has a light final astringency.
This thirteenth edition of First Harvest Day of Castillo de Canena will be present in more than fifty countries -mainly in Europe, the United States, Latin America, Japan, and Australia-, consolidating itself as one of the best extra virgin olive oils in the world, for its constant recognition since its inception.
Link to El Mondo:
https://www.elmundo.es/andalucia/2018/12/14/5c13754a21efa0f6358b46e7.html
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar