Racalía is one of the leading producers of high-quality olive oil in western Sicily. Its 2024 harvest is remarkably good, especially when one remembers the problems that many olive-growers encountered in what is universally agreed to be a difficult year. Too much heat and too little precipitation have affected the quality of many well-known producers, but Racalía is remarkable in its ability to produce an oil of consistent and stable quality year after year. This judgment is confirmed by the statutory tests carried out by an independent government-certified Laboratory dedicated to the chemical analysis of olive oils. Its report establishes that Racalía's olive oil from 2024 shows an excellent low level of acidity and a high level of peroxides: both are indicators of good cultivation, careful harvesting and prompt extraction, all of which contribute to the quality of the oil itself. 

Three traditional olive varieties from the Trapani area make up the olive orchards at Racalía – Biancolilla, Cerasuola and Nocellara del Bélice. In my opinion, they have the capacity to make the best of all olive oils – better, for example, than the much-vaunted oils of Tuscany. The dominant variety at Racalía is Cerasuola, a drought-resistant olive grown for its ability to produce fruity oils that keep their freshness well beyond the normal span of twelve months;

Olive oils are professionally judged by a panel of experts. The laboratory's report confirms that Racalía's 2024 oil is free from all defects. Next comes the analysis of its actual taste, which assesses the three qualities that must be present in every oil and in the correct proportions: fruitiness, bitterness and pepperiness. These are each marked on a scale of one to ten, and the fruitiness must predominate – as a rule of thumb, the sum of the marks given to the bitterness and pepperiness should not exceed the mark given to fruitiness. It is fruitiness that gives each olive oil its distinctive taste, though when we say 'fruity', we mean usually 'veggie', because the smell and taste of olive oil is almost always reminiscent more of green herbs than fruit

The freshness of the aroma of Racalía's 2024 olive oil is the first thing you notice. There is a suggestion of bananas in the aroma but fresh grass and artichokes are also present. The taste recalls grass, herbs and artichoke, all classic qualities of good extra virgin oil, plus a hint of almonds and banana. I judge it to be medium-fruity and mark its strength at 5 out of 10. It is followed by a complementary touch of bitterness and, later, of pepperiness. Taken together, these attributes make for an oil that will find favour with English buyers who do not like too much bitterness on the tongue or too much pepperiness in the aftertaste. Neither of them dominates the taste and I rate them both at 2 out of 10. Those figures are measures of strength, not of quality, and so it is the balance that we look to in order to assess the overall character of the oil.  

Racalía's 2024 olive oil is very harmonious and it has two unusual attributes. First, the aftertaste of pepperiness emerges very late, long after the actual flavour has almost faded. This is regarded as a very desirable quality and I have rarely tasted such a good example. The second attribute that distinguishes this year's harvest is its unctuous texture, which one notices at once because it creates a sense of richness. I give the oil as a whole a high mark of 8 out of 10, and I am pleased to learn that the panel of experts at the professional institute confirm this level of excellence.