The Chianti Classico olive oil DOP designation

Production of extra virgin olive oil, and, even more so, oil with DOP status (Denominazione di Origine Protetta, meaning protected designation of origin), requires commitment to and respect for very strict technical requirements. Careful testing and inspection work is fundamental to making oils that are always rich in the components that render them unique (vitamins, polyphenols and other essential compounds).

The aim of the Chianti Classico DOP Olive Oil Consortium, which was founded in 1975 as an offshoot of the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium, is as an oversight authority, to protect and promote the DOP appellation since its creation in 2001, using the same qualitative criteria that were applied for more than 30 years to determine whether an extra virgin olive oil can carry the Chianti Classico (now Chianti Classico DOP) label. The Consortium assists olive oil producers in their efforts to create a product that maintains high levels of those components that actively protect our health and give the product “classic” aromas and flavours.

Chianti Classico DOP Olive Oil is characterised by a good fruity flavour, with scents of raw artichoke and fresh grass and a spicy aftertaste. The scents and flavours that the consumer finds in this olive oil are strictly tied to its cultivars and olive-growing environment, and its quality is guaranteed by the DOP.

The Consortium has 250 members working in the Chianti Classico zone, which consists of the communities of Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and parts of Barberino Val d’Elsa, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Poggibonsi, San Casciano Val di Pesa and Tavarnelle Val di Pesa.

More about Tuscan olive oil.