Did you know that olive oil is one of the few food products that reaches its most intense character immediately after it is produced? Unlike wine, olive oil does not improve with age. From the moment it is extracted, it slowly begins to lose its aromas and compounds. That is why fresh olive oil, the first of each harvest, is so sought after by those who truly appreciate it.
What is green olive oil?
Green olive oil refers to freshly extracted olive oil, consumed in the weeks or months following the harvest. In Trás-os-Montes, the olive harvest begins in October and continues until December. The first olive oil to reach the table is usually made from olives picked while they are still green.
It is not an official category or a different type of olive oil. It is the same extra virgin olive oil, tasted at the moment when it is closest to the fruit from which it comes.
Why is it different?
More bitter and peppery
Fresh olive oil has a more intense sensory profile, with notes of grass, green leaves and green fruit, a pronounced bitterness and a peppery sensation in the throat. These characteristics come from polyphenols, natural compounds found in olives with antioxidant properties.
Bitterness and pungency are not defects. On the contrary, they are signs of fresh olive oil made from healthy olives and carefully extracted. Over the following months, polyphenol levels gradually decrease and the olive oil becomes progressively milder.
Colour and appearance
Fresh olive oil made from green olives has an intense green hue, resulting from the chlorophyll naturally present in the fruit. This colour gradually fades over the following months.
If the olive oil is unfiltered, it may also appear slightly cloudy. These are tiny particles of fruit suspended in the oil, which eventually settle at the bottom of the bottle. They do not affect the quality of the olive oil, but they are one of the reasons why unfiltered olive oils are best consumed sooner.
Harvest date and best-before date: what is the difference?
This is one of the most common questions — and one of the least clearly explained on olive oil labels.
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Best-before date ("best before"): this is set by the producer and indicates how long the olive oil is expected to retain its characteristics under proper storage conditions. It does not indicate when the olive oil was produced.
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Harvest year: this indicates the year or harvest season in which the olives were picked. Including it on the label is optional.
Two olive oils with the same best-before date may have been produced at very different times. So, if you are looking for fresh olive oil, the most useful information is the harvest year. An olive oil that is still within its best-before date is not necessarily a fresh olive oil.
How to enjoy green olive oil
Green olive oil is best enjoyed raw, where its character can be appreciated most clearly:
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Over toasted bread, with a pinch of salt — the traditional way of tasting the first olive oil of the harvest;
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Drizzled over soups, roasted vegetables or legumes, just before serving;
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With simple grilled fish or meat dishes, where the oil's peppery character balances the richness of the food.
Green olive oil at Quinta Mourisca
At Quinta Mourisca, the first olive oil of each harvest is made from olives picked while still green in our olive groves in Agrobom. It is cold extracted using only mechanical processes and left unfiltered, preserving the full intensity of the fruit.
This year, for the first time, extraction takes place in our own olive mill at the farm, reducing the time between harvesting and extraction.
We produce these olive oils in small batches, and each bottle indicates the harvest year. We recommend enjoying them in the months following production, when their character is at its most intense.
