To see the harvesting of olives in action, the best time to visit is between November and February. However, anytime of year is suitable to visit and learn about the olive oil process.

Yes, Spain’s olive oil is of a very high quality. Spain is an important olive oil producer, with its products sold worldwide. Approximately 45% of the world’s olives are produced in Spain.

This is all down to personal taste as both countries produce superb olive oil. Spanish olive oil tends to be nuttier and fruitier than Italian oil and lighter in colour, generally a yellow-gold hue. Italian oil is generally greener in colour with a herby flavour and odour.

Much of the olive oil production is still traditional, with farmers manually harvesting the fruit form the trees by shaking them into nets with sticks. The olives are then taken to the mill to be cleaned, pressed and the oil extracted.

Spain has a very diverse range of olives, which in turn leads to different oil blends or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). Each area of Spain producing olive oil will have a different taste and colour, depending on the types of olives used in production. Even from one village to the next, you can taste a discernible difference in flavour.