This time the Alps that "defend" the lake of Garda from the north winds, giving them a Mediterranean climate, they couldn't do much. The outstanding cold wave of May followed by intense heat of June, and then the strong strong winds and hailstorms at the end of summer found no obstacles and have scourged the shores of the lake, hitting especially the olive groves, the "sentinels" of the Garda landscape. An area that, not surprisingly, is called "Riviera degli ulivi". And the impact on the harvest was heavy: the Consortium for protection Garda Dop estimates a 90-95% drop in production. A situation that forced him to ask for the status of magnet and to involve research institutions in identifying the causes and finding them remedies is solutions so that this situation does not happen again future.
The meager harvest that unites this vintage in olive groves of all the four provinces bordering Lake Garda it makes one think. Both because it shows us the effects concrete and immediate climate change even in one protected area from a gentle climate, with mild temperatures and rain normally well distributed throughout the year. Both because it affects a production that, compared to other oils, is characterized by the use of a typical local cultivar, the Casaliva, so constant in production that it is called in dialect "Direct her", that is able to "straighten out" the fate of the collected, thanks also to the fact that it matures in a scalar and late manner and that it resists frost and parasites. Just the mix of positive and climatic factors cultivars olives are selected for the quality and fame of theGarda oil, which for over 20 years has been protected by the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin).
This "Sticker" European recognizes the three different souls of this oil extra virgin of olive, which expresses the characteristics of the different territories, from the flat land on the slopes of the mountains, with their microclimates and the type of olives used. Even so, we understand that olive growing is a world on Lake Garda variegated and also from the long tradition: in fact, testimonies have been found that date back to the age of Bronze. And since the Renaissance on slopes of the hills that slope down towards the lake, terraces have been created for planting olive trees. Today the extra virgin olive oil Garda Dop is produced, processed and packaged in 67 Municipalities of the provinces of Brescia, Verona, Mantua and Trento and sold with about eighty different labels. On each bottle, in addition to the seal of the Dop, appear the year of production of the olives from which it was obtained and a numbered mark, which allows you to retrace the history and theorigin of the product.
Garda Dop oil is one and triune
only one is the DOP (that is Garda Dop extra virgin olive oil) but there are three geographic mentions in which it is declined: Bresciano, Eastern and Trentino.
What they have in common are the varieties of olives used and the calendar of production, which requires olives to be processed within five days of collection. They are differentiated
the "weight" of the different olive cultivars and, therefore, the organoleptic characteristics they give to theextra virgin. Because if it is true, generalizing, that the Garda Dop is an oil kind on taste and aroma, with low acidity (maximum 0.5%) and a medium or light fruity taste, with a pleasant and surprising aftertaste of almond, but it changes (and much) depending on the microterritory from which it comes. The Garda Bresciano and the East Garda (obtained in the provinces of Verona and Mantova), which are obtained for at least 55% from olives of the Casaliva, Frantoio and Leccino, are the most delicate. The Bresciano has a golden yellow color tending to green, and gives a slight bitter sensation e spicy, while the Oriental has a light golden yellow color and tastes of sweet almond. The third type, that of the Garda, is very different Trentino Dop: thanks to the higher presence of Casaliva olives and the presence of the cultivar Pendolino, acquires a green color, becomes more herbaceous and fruity, and has a more intense flavor.
Manuela Soressi
November 2019
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