Olive Oil

The first Olive tree in the Cape was planted by Jan van Riebeeck in 1661 on his farm in Boschheuvel. That was only the beginning of the Olive Oil industry in South Africa. In 1907 a farmer from Paarl received a gold medal for the “finest olive oil produced in the British Empire” at the London Show.

An Italian immigrant, Ferdinando Costa, then decided to import numerous olive cultivars. Today we have more than 300 olive growers in South Africa.

The Overberg is doing extremely well with Olive Oil. Adamskloof recently won double gold at the SA Olive awards, Gabrielskloof got awarded with gold, others in our area include Barton, Hamilton Russell, Southern Right, Stanford Hills and Hermanuspietersfontein to name but a few.

Classification of Olive Oils and Olive Oil Terminology

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Free acidity (measured as oleic acid) below 0.8% with no organaleptic defects. This is the best Olive Oil you can buy. But beware, just like you get better and poorere wines – not all Extra Virgin Olive Oils are equal.

Fine Virgin Olive Oil

Free acidity below 2%

Virgin Olive Oil

Free acidity below 3.3%

Lampante Virgin Olive Oil

Free acidity above 3.3% but is not fit for consumption.

Refined Olive Oil

Obtained from virgin olive oil (such as Lampante) by refining methods which do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceride structure. This oil is often called Pure Olive Oil.

Olive Oil

Consists of a blend of virgin olive oil fit for consumption (not Lampante) and refined olive oil.

Olive Pomace Oil

Formerly known as olive residue oil. This is oil which is produced by chemically treating the press-cake after initial pressing to extract remaining oil. This crude oil can then be further refined chemically to reduce acidity and it is often blended with virgin olive oil to restore some colour and flavour.

The colour of the oil is not really a good indicator of the quality, but rather of when the fruit were harvested. Early in the season the oil of most cultivars tends to be a darker green and later in the season it is more yellow.

How to store your oil

If properly stored, olive oil keeps longer than other edible cooking oils. Olive oil will stay fresh longest if it is kept in an airtight glass container, in a cool cupboard. It should never be kept in the fridge, as it will become thick and cloudy. If this happens, remove form the fridge and it will return to normal.

Tasting

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is chosen for its taste because it is used to add flavour and enhance the taste of your food.

By learning more about good quality olive oil and a good tasting technique it is possible to reawaken our senses and make a better choice when buying olive oil.

Principles of tasting

Strictly speaking taste refers to those sensations perceived by the tongue. However, taste is also influenced by the reaction of the mucous membranes, by the flavour perceived after swallowing and by the mouth-feel or texture of the item. The harmony of the various taste components is very important.

However, remember that freshness is paramount.

The senses

Sight is not the important one of the important senses when tasting. What you see can be misleading. When olive oil is professionally tested, the colour is deliberately removed from the equation by placing the sample in blue glasses.

The sense of smell is the most important sense in tasting. It is also the most sensitive. We can also differentiate between a considerable number of different aromas. With the sense of smell we will be able to perceive most of the fruity and green notes. It is important to remember that we can perceive combined aromas.

Bitterness and pungency are the main attributes to be noted while tasting. Some tasters tend to confuse bitterness with pungency. The former is always perceived on the tongue and the latter usually further back in the throat.

Precautions 

Peppery and bitter tastes and especially off-flavours, makes the mouth very sensitive, therefore it is best not to taste more than six oils in one session. If you start the tasting session with a strong and overpowering oil subsequent oils tend to taste stronger than they really are.  

To decide the order in which they should be tasted, it is important to screen the oils first by their aroma. Taste the milder oils first, followed by the more robust oils. Oils with obvious defects should be tasted last.  

Always refresh your mouth between each tasting with sparkling water or a slice of apple.  

Perfumes, deodorants, sweets, drinks like coffee, eating and smoking should be avoided at least 30 minutes before and during the tasting. Avoid washing your hands with perfumed soaps and don’t use perfumed hand lotions before a tasting session.  

Use separate tasting glasses for each sample and taste the oils in a clean, light and airy environment.  

Taste with a friend, make notes, compare and have great fun! 

Ready to taste

Pour about a teaspoon or 5ml of oil in a glass and rotate the glass to wet the sides fully.  

Warm the sides of the glass with the palms of your hands to allow the aromas to escape into the glass. Cover the top of the class with your other hand to contain the aromas in the glass.  

After about one minute take the top hand off and bring the oil as closely as possible to your nose. Slowly inhale deeply two or three times in succession, making a mental note of the bouquet is it fresh or is there a trace of rancidity? 

Smell

First note the intensity of the aroma and assess the distinctive fresh olive fruitiness. The first impression is often the most distinctive and should be remembered. Other aromas are then sorted and noted. A good quality, fresh oil should exhibit firstly a definite olive-fruity aroma, followed by pungent, green and bitter (and other desirable) aromas.

The stronger the flavour of the oil, the longer you’ll need to wait before the next tasting. One or two sniffs should be sufficient to recognise a succession of smells which recall other familiar aromas. If necessary, repeat after about a minute.

Taste

Take a small sip of approximately 2 to 3 ml. Roll the oil over the tongue and round the mouth, distributing the oil throughout the whole of the mouth. This is very important, because the perception of the four primary tastes (sweet, salty, acid and bitter) varies in intensity depending on the area of the tongue, palate and throat.  

With your lips semi-closed, inhale rapidly two or three times in succession to spray the oil onto your tongue and palate. The intake of air helps to release the volatile aromas, allowing them to pass up the nasal passages.  

Memorize the flavours, and then spit the oil out. If necessary, repeat the tasting, but only after you’ve rinsed your mouth with clean water. 

Rinse

When you are finished tasting spit the Oil out. Clean the mouth with water and apples. That will enable you to taste multiple oils without compromising your judgement.

Personal preference

The first and more important rule is: What you think is good is good. Olive oil is best chosen as you would choose a wine, by personal preference.

There is no right or wrong when choosing a good quality olive oil. Some people prefer light sweet oils; others prefer punchy oils with plenty of peppery notes, or choose two or even three different styles of oil for different culinary purposes.

Raw Honey

Raw honey has grabbed our attention...not only because of its health qualities but did you know they make wine from honey? 

Mead is also called honey wine.  It is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation. Depending on local traditions and specific recipes, it may be flavoured with spices, fruit, or hops (which produce a bitter, beer-like flavor). The alcoholic content of mead may range from about 8% to 18%. It may be still, carbonated, or naturally sparkling, and it may be dry, semi-sweet, or sweet.  Mead is known from many sources of ancient history throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia, although archaeological evidence of it is ambiguous. Its origins are lost in prehistory.

Raw honey with its many health benefits is our topic today.

Long before drugstores pushed honey into the realm of folk remedy, it was used worldwide in the most acute of applications. The earliest recorded medical texts describing the use of honey are from Egypt, more than 4,000 years ago; as well as being used to treat burns and wounds, it was employed to calm diarrhoea and inflammation. In World War I, doctors mixed honey with cod-liver oil to treat injured soldiers. Honey fell out of favour as a go-to antibiotic quite recently---during the Second World War, when the pharmaceutical industry came to power.

Truly raw honey, as it remains in its original, fresh-from-the-hive form, is a much richer source of nutrition than the pasteurized form. For one, it retains all of its original enzymes (which are part of what makes it such a potent anti-infective), as well as a wide range of vitamins and minerals (calls micronutrients). The micronutrient content of honey varies depending upon the flowers the bees used to make it, so bees that aren't constrained to a single flower (clover honey, for instance) produce more nutrient-rich honey.

Raw honey is relatively easy to identify. First, smell it to be sure that it has a strong, distinct honey smell. Pasteurized honey has had much of its "stuffing" knocked out of it by means of heat-processing, and has a much weaker scent. Second, look along the top of the (ideally glass) bottle. Are there bubbles? If there are, it still contains the honey's natural surfactant, which would have been removed by pasteurization. If you're still unsure, put it in the coldest part of your fridge and wait a few hours. If it freezes, it almost certainly contains added sugar or preservatives---raw honey won't freeze in the fridge.

Honey supports healing and calms inflammation. As such, it's quite useful in a wide array of applications. A potent natural antibiotic, physicians have topically applied raw honey to wounds since the dawn of recorded history. It calms allergy symptoms, soothes gastrointestinal distress, heals stomach ulcers, lessens insomnia, and is even a useful tool to eliminate bedwetting. Many herbalists and naturopaths advocate the use of raw honey, applied directly to the skin, to aid in the healing of (and prevent scarring in) surgical wounds and burns.

The reason that honey is subjected to pasteurization in so many cases is that there is a slight danger inherent in consuming it; however, this danger is eliminated if one sources one's raw honey locally, from an organic farmer. Since the honey-producing bees harvest the nectar directly from flowers, any chemical that the flowers have been subjected to will make its way into the honey. Organic practices null this risk. Furthermore, tiny levels of botulism spores occasionally make their way into raw honey; if fed to an infant, the spores can grow in their immature digestive tracts and release a toxin.

Here are some more ways to utilize the healing power of honey:

BURNS - Apply freely over burns. It cools, removes pain and aids fast healing without scarring. Apart from being a salve and an antibiotic, bacteria simply cannot survive in honey.

BED WETTING - A teaspoon of honey before bed aids water retention and calms fears in children.

INSOMNIA - A dessertspoon of honey in a mug of warm milk aids sleep and works wonders.

HYPERACTIVITY - Replace all use of white sugar with honey. White sugar is highly stimulating with no food qualities. Honey provides the energy without the "spike."

NASAL CONGESTION - Place a dessertspoon of honey in a basin of water and inhale fumes after covering your head with a towel over the basin. Very effective!

FATIGUE - Dissolve a dessertspoon of honey in warm water or quarter honey balance of water in a jug and keep in the fridge. Honey is primarily fructose and glucose, so it's quickly absorbed by the digestive system. Honey is a unique natural stabilizer: Ancient Greek athletes took honey for stamina before competing and as a reviver after competition.

FACIAL DEEP CLEANSER - Mix honey with an equal quantity of oatmeal, and apply as a face pack. Leave on for half an hour, then wash it off. Great as a deep cleanser for acne and other unwanted blemishes.

POOR DIGESTION - Mix honey with an equal quantity of apple cider vinegar and dilute to taste with water. This is also wonderful for the joints – and promotes weight loss.

HAIR CONDITIONER - Mix honey with an equal quantity of olive oil, cover head with a warm towel for half an hour then shampoo off. Feeds hair and scalp. Your hair will never look or feel better!

SORE THROATS - Let a teaspoon of honey melt in the back of the mouth and trickle down the throat. Eases inflamed raw tissues.

FOR STRESS - Honey in water is a stabilizer, calming highs and raising lows. Use approximately 25 percent honey to water.

ANEMIA - Honey is the best blood en icher by raising corpuscle content. The darker the honey, the more minerals it contains.

FOOD PRESERVATIVE – If you replace the sugar in cake and cookie recipes with honey, they'll stay fresher longer due to honey's natural antibacterial properties. Reduce liquids in the mixture by about one-fifth to allow for the moisture present in the in honey.

BABY'S BOTTLE - Four teaspoons of honey to a baby's bottle of water is an excellent pacifier and multivitamin additive. If the baby's motions are too liquid, then reduce the honey by half a teaspoon; if too solid increase by half a teaspoon. (Caution: Don't give raw honey to babies under 1 year old; it's just too rich.) For teething, honey rubbed on a baby's gums is also a mild sedative and anaesthetic.

OSTEOPOROSIS – Research has shown that a teaspoon of honey per day aids calcium utilization and prevents osteoporosis – probably not a bad idea for anyone over 50.

LONGEVITY - The most long-lived people in the world are all regular users of honey. An interesting fact, yet to be explained, is that beekeepers suffer less from cancer and arthritis than any other occupational group worldwide.

MIGRAINE - Use a dessertspoon of honey dissolved in half a glass of warm water. Sip at the start of a migraine attack, and, if necessary, repeat after another 20 minutes.

CONJUNCTIVITIS - Dissolve honey in an equal quantity of warm water. When cooled, apply as a lotion or eye bath.

COUGH MIXTURE – Combine 6 ounces (170 grams) liquid honey, 2 ounces (55 grams) glycerine and the juice of two lemons. Mix well. Bottle and cork firmly, and use as required.

Raw honey may become granulated, as some does after a week and another maybe only after several years. If the granulations bother you, simply place the honey into a pan of hot water (not boiling) and let it stand until becoming liquid again.

The heat is on!

With the heat waves we have been experiencing the past view weeks, everyone is asking how this will affect the harvest…when a sudden rise in temperature occurs the grapes are forced ripe and the sugar content rises.

In South Africa we typically harvest from February to April.

During this period, growers closely monitor the development of the grapes. At the most basic level, as the berries ripen, they become sweeter. The acidity levels decrease and the sugars, which will be fermented into alcohol, increase; the more sugar in the grapes, the higher the potential alcohol level of the wine. In addition, in red grapes, the skin color begins to intensify in darkness. Flavour compounds develop, showing more fruit and fewer vegetal characteristics, and the tannins—compounds found in skins, stems and seeds that contribute to texture and structure—soften.

The weather has a tremendous impact on how the grapes in a given year will behave in a bottle of wine. For starters, the ideal weather for growing grapes includes a winter that is cool with good moisture. However, once spring hits heavy moisture is “discouraged” and throughout the summer cool nights with moderate days is the goal. During the actual harvest, wineries are praying for dry weather to bring the grapes home.

Heat waves shorten the ripening time of the grape leading to pronounced sugar ripening rather than phenolic ripening (a sudden increase in heat causes the sugar levels in the grape to rise faster than usual). This results in lower acid levels and hence higher pH levels. On the other hand phenolic ripeness increases with more time on the vine. However grapes need to be picked at the correct degree balling (a measure of sugar levels in the grape) in order to ensure the consequent alcohol level is where it needs to be.

Acids are very important structural components of wine. If a wine is too low in acid, it tastes flat and dull. If a wine is too high in acid, it tastes too tart and sour. Usually, the winemaker can easily manipulate the acidity.

Grapes grown in warmer climates have lower acidity than grapes grown in cooler climates.

The warmer the climate the higher the sugar content of the grapes.

In summary, warmer climates result in high sugar and low acid whereas cooler climates result in low sugar and high acid.

Winemakers may test grape juice, from a sampling of grapes across different parcels of a vineyard, in a lab to check pH and Brix (a measurement of sugar) to help them determine how ripe the grapes are. But they’ll also head into the vineyards regularly—sometimes daily—to taste and examine the grapes in the weeks leading up to harvest. They’re checking for what's referred to as phenolic maturity or physiological ripeness—gauging the intensity and character of flavours and the quality of the tannins. They'll look at skin thickness, berry texture, seed colour and texture and whether the stems have turned from green to brown. Ultimately, winegrowers are seeking a good balance between the sugars, acidity, tannins and flavour compounds.

Wineries want to get the grapes to crush, where the grapes are not “smashed” but “gently split” so that the juice starts to flow, as quickly as possible. Great pains are taken to escalate the process, while keeping the grapes from becoming too warm during the transport from vineyard to the crusher. For example, many grape varietals are cut from the vine in the cool, early morning hours.

If you harvest too soon, you will probably end up getting a wine too low in alcohol content (there won't have been enough sugar to convert to alcohol). These wines will be "thin." If you delay harvest, there may be too much sugar, which leads to too low acid content. This also affects the taste (and the aging possibilities) of the wine.

Depending on the grape variety, region and wine style, the ripening process can last anywhere from 30 to 70 days. Some grapes, like Tempranillo, ripen quickly. Others, like Petit Verdot, ripen long after other varieties are being transformed into wine. As for regions, cooler climates, like Hermanus, typically have longer ripening cycles, while hotter ones, like Robertson, have shorter cycles.

As harvest nears, growers follow weather reports very carefully to stay ahead of sudden changes. Heat waves, excessive rain and even frost can ruin a crop. A year's worth of hard work can be wiped out by a hailstorm days before picking. Sometimes a grower is forced to pick early rather than risk losing his crop or needs to leave grapes hanging longer than expected to dry out and regain balance after heavy rain.

The date of harvest is rarely ever the same from one year to the next, so winegrowers must call it as best they can. Pick too early, and tannins may be "green," or bitter and underdeveloped. Pick too late and the sugar levels may get too high, resulting in a flabby, unbalanced wine.

Finally, the style of wine being made also influences the time of harvest. In sparkling wines, high acidity is desirable, so the harvest is early. In dessert wines, by contrast, it's the sugar that counts and, thus, a late harvest.