Grand Cru de la Luna
Organically grown, the prized Nocellara del Belice olives are the only olive used in Grand Cru de la Luna extra virgin olive oil. This dual-purpose olive cultivated in the Valle del Belice area of south-western Sicily is grown as both oil and table olives. They are also referred to as Castelvetrano and have DOP (Protected Designation of Origin, the identification form used by the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products) protection. These large, green olives produce an oil with green grassy notes, fine fruitiness and appropriate pungency. This cholesterol-free, one-variety olive oil is perfect for preparing classics such as Bruschetta; the purists enjoy it with fresh country bread and some fleur de sel.
Our producers hand harvest these olives at night. The olives experience less stress with the cool nighttime temperatures and as a result the content of free fatty acids and peroxides in the olive oil is very low allowing the flavors to shine through. The careful hand-picking of the olives assures that the environment and animals are protected during the harvest.