Jorge de Moya calls his olive groves ‘the world’s most pampered olive trees.’ He refers to his product not as olive oil, but rather, ‘olive nectar.’
De Moya obviously takes great pride in his premium Olivaylle Estate Olive Nectar, which comes, not from Italy, Greece or anywhere in the Mediterranean region. His pampered olive trees grow in Telopea Downs, Victoria, Australia. That’s right, this new entry to the olive oil market comes from Down Under.
De Moya says the climate in southern Australia is similar to other olive oil producing countries, but the area has fewer of the diseases and pests that can plague olive groves.
Invented His Own Production Process
When de Moya began his quest for a better olive oil, he trusted his own discerning taste buds and exacting standards, testing and rejecting standard olive oil production techniques. Ultimately the former civil engineer (and M.I.T. graduate) invented his own production process. His methods, he claims, do a superior job of fighting the enemies of olive oil quality, which he identifies as heat, oxygen, time, contaminants, and light.
The result, he says, is an ultra premium olive oil with a free acidity of 0.08, substantially below the 0.8 level that the industry allows producers to label as ‘extra virgin.’
Olivaylle extra virgin olive oil is bottled in glass that is nearly black, to protect the oil from the harmful effects of exposure to light.
‘When you put a drop of our Olive Nectar in your mouth, it’s like an explosion of taste,’ says de Moya. ‘If you put a drop of olive oil from the supermarket in your mouth, it’s like motor oil.’ Okay, perhaps a bit of hyperbole there, but this is a proud man who really believes in his product.
The Food Channel Taste Test
The Food Channel gathered some of our chefs and olive oil connoisseurs together to sample a few drops of Mr. de Moya’s olive nectar for ourselves. Using only a loaf of French bread and a bottle of Mr. de Moya’s “nectar,” we began sopping and sampling.
The room grew quiet. Then one chef exclaimed, “This is WONDERFUL.”
The unanimous verdict: excellent stuff. One chef called it “too good to cook with.” The flavor was premium quality all the way, very smooth, a pure and pleasurable olive taste experience.
Olivaylle is obviously high-end olive oil, and it comes at a premium price. A 500mL bottle runs about $30, but it’s worth it, mate, in the opinion of our experts. Crikey!
The folks at Olivaylle provided us with several recipes you may want to try. You can find these by doing a recipe search and keying in the word Olivaylle. Or, for more information, you may wish to visit the company’s website, olivaylle.com.
