South American Olive Oil

It’s easy to only consider terroir when talking about wine. But think about it. How many different products taste better, or different, depending on where they come from? Florida and Spain grow the best oranges in the world. San Marzano tomatoes have a specific demarcation when grown in the Sarno Valley in Italy. Even cheese has terroir. Cheddar is a place, after all.

But there is one tasty fruit that we all know and love that produces something with clear terroir: olives. Olive oil, just like wine, can taste profoundly different because of a variety of factors, ranging from the type of olive, to the annual rainfall, to the soil type, and the cultivation techniques. All of which means that olive oil shows a clear sense of place. And you know we love that at Grand Cata!

One of our favorite countries for wine also makes world-class olive oil. Chile has grown olives since the Spanish introduced the fruit hundreds of years ago. Much like California, Italy, and Spain, the regions of Chile that grow the best grapes, also grow the best olives for olive oil production. 

We have a bunch of different olives oils, particularly at our La Cosecha location. With this piece, we’d like to showcase two that demonstrate our point about terroir: Las Doscientas Arbequina, and Las Doscientas Picual. Arbequina and Picual are different varieties of olive, with flavors distinct to themselves. The Arbequina has a lovely creamy note and tropical fruit undertones, while the Picual has a spicy kick, cherry tomato note, and leaner texture. 

The idea of terroir comes into play in the ways in which the two are similar, despite being made from different types of olives. Tasting them back to back, you can clearly taste that they are not just from the same producer, but also the same place. Terroir is a notoriously subtle attribute. The best way to understand it is to taste. We promise that as soon as you try these back to back, you’ll see exactly what we mean.