Sabina PDO

The olive growing vocation of Sabina is based on a century-old tradition and on paedoclimatic conditions. The terrain, in particular, ranges from brown calcareous to dark Mediterranean soil. The climate is normally temperate and rarely reaches very high or very low temperatures. Olive growing is also favoured by hilly slopes and southern exposure, as well as altimetry, ranging from 200 metres in the Lower Sabina to 500 metres in the Upper Sabina.

However, the most important factor influencing the quality of this oil is the variety portfolio, with several varieties finding in Sabina their ideal growing conditions.The PDO Sabina product disciplinary allows the employment of Carboncella, Leccino, Raja, Pendolino, Frantoio, Moraiolo, Olivastrone, Salviana, Olivago, and Rosciola for minimum 75%. Other variety can be used up to 25%. The production area includes 14 municipalities in the province of Rome and 32 municipalities in the province of Rieti.

In the extraction stage only mechanical and physical methods can be applied, so as to preserve the original characteristics of the olives. A peculiarity of this oil is its low acidity, reaching a maximum of 0.6%. The colour is golden yellow, with green tints in younger oils. The aroma is fruity and the flavour is fruity, velvety, uniform, aromatic, and slightly pungent. The bitter note is pronounced in younger oils, but tends to fade away over time.