What’s on those supermarket shelves – Minerva Kalamata PDO
admin | February 25, 2012Minerva Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Kalamata P.D.O – A.O.P.
Batch: L10322 FR18-11-2010, KA 46318/10
Purchased: Woolworths Unley Road, South Australia
Best by date: 18/11/2012
Price: $AUD6.50 for 500mls ($AUD 13 per litre, $US 12 ) – Discounted price.
Package: 500ml green glass, screwcap with plastic covering
Source: Kalamata Greece
Date Analysed and tasted 27-12-11
My measurement of FFA: 0.7% (IOC Limit 0.8%)
My measurement of UV232: 1.8 (IOC Limit 2.5)
My measurement of UV270: 0.19 (IOC Limit 0.22)
Tasting Notes: Tired flat aroma with hints of tapenade. A very light banana like Koroneiki varietal character in the background, but I had to search for it. No bitterness or pungency.
Comment
I’m really tired of being negative about EU oils that I find on Australian supermarket shelves. So when I saw this one – the first Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) extra virgin olive oil that I have seen in a major Australian supermarket, I thought ‘here’s my chance’ to say some good things.
Firstly a bit of background. Olive oils from the Kalamata PDO are made from the variety Koroneiki. The front label clearly displayed a yellow and red PDO label, a Greek flag and the DOP and AOP (Appellation d’ Origine Protegee) designations are given prominently in large font. The back label states a “superior category olive oil”.
While this oil was not the worst of those EU that I have sampled from Australian supermarket shelves, it was in some ways doubly disappointing given its PDO status. Its chemistry was ordinary, as was its taste. What is the use of having a system that is designed to give consumers confidence in an oils’ quality when the oil just makes the lax EU grade for extra virgin, and tastes tired and essentially non-varietal? I’ve tasted a quite a few Koroneiki’s from Greece, Australia, New Zealand and the US. If somehow this one was supposed to showcase the variety from its traditional homeland in the Peleponese, well it failed. In my opinion there are Koroneiki oils made 30km from where I live in Adelaide South Australia that are way more ‘Koroneiki like’ than this one. 12,000 km away! So much for the main mantra of the DOP system – typicality. So like all other aspects of the extra virgin olive oil world, it would appear that unless something is rigorously controlled and policed then what people say on the label isn’t worth a piece of cocky poop.
I tried to find out about the Kalamata PDO on the web, and found nothing about what oils need to be in terms of production, taste or chemistry to qualify. What I found was that there were lots of producers proudly claiming that their oils were Kalamata PDO but what that meant remains a complete mystery (to me at least). Is there any criteria other than the olives have to be sourced from a particular region? If this is the case, then the PDO system is worthless as any EVOO producer will tell you that olive oil flavours and tastes can be easily destroyed by even short processing delays or poor storage, or indeed (like all oils) lengthy storage prior to bottling and sale. Incidentally, this oil had over 12 months of storage life left according to the label, but there was no processing date. I wouldn’expect a processing date on a generic EU EVOO, but on a PDO, absolutely! If it isn’t given there, where else would you expect to see one? Even Australia’s largest producer of EVOO gives the month and year of processing on their oils.
I attended the 2011 National Australian Conference on Olive Oil where we spent a whole afternoon discussing the pros and cons of PDO systems in olive oil. After tasting this one, it is clear that that is 3 hours of my life that I will never get back. This oil was the same old same old except this time it had a PDO sticker.
I’m beginning to question? Is there any imported EU oil on a major Australian supermarket shelf with less than 0.4% acidity? Is there an EU supermarket oil that gives a processing date? Is there an EU supermarket oil with oxidation indices (UV232 and UV270) lower than the leading Australian private (i.e. non supermarket home brands/ white label brands)? My frustration continues.
Minerva Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Kalamata P.O.D – A.O.P.
Batch: L10322 FR18-11-2010, KA 46318/10
Purchased: Woolworths Unley Road, South Australia
Best by date: 18/11/2012
Price: $AUD6.50 for 500mls ($AUD 13 per litre, $US 12 )
Package: 500ml green glass, screwcap with plastic covering
Source: Kalamata Greece
Date Analysed and tasted 27-12-11
My measurement of FFA: 0.7% (IOC Limit 0.8%)
My measurement of UV232: 1.8 (IOC Limit 2.5)
My measurement of UV270: 0.19 (IOC Limit 0.22)
Tasting notes: Tired flat aroma with a hint of fustyness. A very light banana like Koroneiki varietal character in the background, but I had to search for it. No bitterness or pungency.
Comment
I’m really tired of being negative about EU oils that I find on Australian supermarket shelves. So when I saw this one – the first Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) extra virgin olive oil that I have seen in a major Australian supermarket, I thought ‘here’s my chance’ to say some good things.
Firstly a bit of background. Olive oils from the Kalamata DOP are made from the variety Koroneiki. The front label clearly displayed a yellow and red DOP label, a Greek flag and the DOP and AOP (Appellation d’ Origine Protegee) designations are given prominently in large font. The back label states a “superior category olive oil”.
While this oil was not the worst of those EU that I have sampled from Australian supermarket shelves, it was in some ways doubly disappointing given its DOP status. Its chemistry was ordinary, as was its taste. What is the use of having a system that is designed to give consumers confidence in an oils’ quality when the oil just makes the lax EU grade for extra virgin, and tastes tired and essentially non-varietal? I’ve tasted a quite a few Koroneiki’s from Greece, Australia, New Zealand and the US. If somehow this one was supposed to showcase the variety from its traditional homeland in the Peleponese, well it failed. In my opinion there are Koroneiki oils made 30km from where I live in Adelaide South Australia that are way more ‘Koroneiki like’ than this one. 12,000 km away! So much for the main mantra of the DOP system – typicality. So like all other aspects of the extra virgin olive oil world, it would appear that unless something is rigorously controlled and policed then what people say on the label isn’t worth a piece of cocky poop.
I tried to find out about the Kalamata DOP on the web, and found nothing about what oils need to be in terms of production, taste or chemistry to qualify. What I found was that there were lots of producers proudly claiming that their oils were Kalamata DOP but what that meant remains a complete mystery (to me at least). Is there any criteria other than the olives have to be sourced from a particular region? If this is the case, then the DOP system is worthless as any EVOO producer will tell you that olive oil flavours and tastes can be easily destroyed by even short processing delays or poor storage, or indeed (like all oils) lengthy storage prior to bottling and sale. Incidentally, this oil had over 12 months of storage life left according to the label, but there was no processing date. I wouldn’expect a processing date on a generic EU EVOO, but on a DOP, absolutely! If it isn’t given there, where else would you expect to see one? Even Australia’s largest producer of EVOO gives the month and year of processing on their oils.
I attended the 2011 National Australian Conference on Olive Oil where we spent a whole afternoon discussing the pros and cons of DOP systems in olive oil. After tasting this one, it is clear that that is 3 hours of my life that I will never get back. This oil was the same old same old except this time it had a DOP sticker.
I’m beginning to question? Is there any imported EU oil on a major Australian supermarket shelf with less than 0.4% acidity? Is there an EU supermarket oil that gives a processing date? Is there an EU supermarket oil with oxidation indices (UV232 and UV270) lower than the leading Australian private (i.e. non supermarket home brands/ white label brands)? My frustration continues.
