Oil 2009

Outstanding Oil 2009: Tesori of Sicily Cherubino

Buccheri, located 700 meters above sea level in the Iblei Mountains of Sicily, has been dominated by olive groves for hundreds of years. The Tonda Iblea olive varietal, which is indigenous to the commune, is behind this year’s Outstanding Oil: Cherubino. Harvested and manufactured by the family-owned farm Terraliva, which translates to “land of the olive”, the olives are hand picked, stone pressed and milled within 48 hours. “This is a time-consuming and more costly process, but it guarantees quality,” says Chiara DiGeronimo, president of Sausalito, Calif.-based Tesori of Sicily, importers of Cherubino.

DiGeronimo explains that the reasoning behind working with Terraliva had to do with its natural processes and dedication to quality as opposed to quantity. “They work with what Mother Nature gives them each year and refuse to meet increasing demand for their oil by automating the processes to extract more oil from the same olives. . . Even if this means making only 1,000 bottles from a harvest,” she says.

Before meeting Tino Cavarra, Terraliva’s owner, DiGeronimo’s business partner David Flaccomio searched the Sicilian island for a respected producer of Tonda Iblea. DiGeronimo says, “Terraliva kept coming up as one of the most important extra virgin olive oils to come out of Sicily, with upwards of 20 awards from around the globe.”  The naturally rich, deep flavor of Cherubino, combined with its small-scale production, was a perfect match for Tesori of Sicily, says DiGeronimo. Suggested retail price: $36/500-milliliter; tesoriofsicily.com.—D. Marrero