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An expert opinion on Racalia Olive Oil  

'For sheer price-to-quality ratios, Sicilian oils are unbeatable. It is Sicilian oil (specifically the oils of Trapani) that wins more major prizes at national and international shows than any other Italian oil. The quality of the island's oils can be compared only to those of Tuscany, whose bitter oils are, in any event, very different from the lush, fruity Sicilians.

Sicilian oil is now finding its way into shops all over the world. Buy and enjoy them now, before their prices escalate to the heights charged by Tuscan boutique producers. Sicilian oils are ridiculously good value.'

(Charles Quest-Ritson Olive Oil [Dorling Kindersley, 2006]).

We asked Charles Quest-Ritson, who, we believe, is the only Englishman to have qualified as an Olive Oil Taster in accordance with European Union criteria, to give an assessment of Racalia's 2010 harvest of Racalia Olive Oil.

Here is what he says:

I am happy to report that your oil is very good. It is clean, fresh and cool. It has no defects. I give it a high mark, up among the top oils from Trapani which, as you may know, I consider the best in the world.

'Oils have three principal characteristics: fruitiness, pepperiness and bitterness, which are traditionally measured out of 10. I rate the fruitiness of your oil at 7½/10; pepperiness at 6/10; bitterness at 3/10. These are not measures of quality but of intensity. The important thing is that they should be well-balanced between themselves, with fruitiness dominating the other characteristics – which it does. Your oil is also very long – it lingers on the palate and produces its characteristics in sequence. This is a positive attribute.

‘Overall I would rate it at 8 or 8½/10, which is a high mark in my reckoning. I have never given an oil more than 9.

'Your oil is unfiltered, and has a green tinge from the fresh fruit of the olives. It has a good smell, principally of tomato-leaves but also with hints of ground pepper and marjoram. It also has a very pleasant 'green' flavour. The dominant taste, at first, is of chicory, then of cucumber, but I also sensed herbs like marjoram again and a hint of banana towards the end.

'Tasting notes for olive oils are based on a sensorial analysis by qualified professionals. The oils must be tasted and assessed 'neat' but, in practice,

they will be used by the ultimate consumer as an ingredient or a condiment for other foods. Racalia Olive Oil will be a good accompaniment to strongly flavoured fish dishes, sea-foods, grilled chicken, many salads and baked vegetables, especially fennel, aubergines and artichokes.

'You have shown me the technical report prepared for your 2010 harvest by Laboratorio Agrichimica S.r.l. between 10 and 13 January 2011. This confirms the quality parameters that are apparent from my own sensory observation. Racalia Olive Oil qualifies as 'extra virgin' olive oil because its acidity is less than 0.8%; in fact, the level of free acidity – a measure of purity – is commendably low at 0.21%. Racalia Olive Oil also scores well in the test to establish the level of peroxides in your oil. Low levels are the hallmark of quality here, and Racalia Olive Oil's reading of 5.2 against the permitted maximum of 20 is a measure of its freshness. And the purity of your oil is backed up by Laboratorio Agrichimica's tests that use a spectrometer to detect the presence of adulterants, of which there are none. So the laboratory analysis is very positive and the tasting panel marked your oil at 8/10, which backs up my own evaluation of the quality and freshness of your oil.

'Thank you for giving me the opportunity to taste such a good oil.'

Charles Quest-Ritson.
7 February 2011.
© Racalia.com 2008