Olives noires de Nyons

Appearance & taste

The olives are harvested ripe and are medium to dark brown, in the colour “bure de moine” (monk’s habit), to black. In at least 60 % of the fruits the surface is finely wrinkled. The fruits are medium-sized to large, taper towards the top, have a pronounced hollow at the stalk end and a rounded tip. The stone is large to very large. They are graded by diameter: class 2 with 14 to 16 mm, class 1 with 16 to 18 mm and “extra” from 18 mm.

The flesh is tender, supple and aromatic and comes away easily from the stone. The olives have the fruity aroma of ripe fruit with notes of chocolate, vanilla, undergrowth or berries, which develop differently depending on the preparation.

Production

Only ripe fruits of the Tanche variety are used, and all steps from growing to preparation take place in the area. According to the specification, at this stage of ripeness the olive loses some of its water through the first cold; this creates the fine wrinkles and a relatively high oil content, and the natural bitterness decreases.

Without preservatives or additives other than salt, there are three preparations. Natural olives are placed without any ingredients, with table salt where applicable, in an airtight container, where the bitter substances are slowly broken down. For the brine method, the olives lie for more than three months in 10 % brine, which absorbs the bitter substances. For the pricked olive, freshly picked fruits are pierced with small holes during the harvest and sprinkled with salt; after a few days they are edible. In the first two methods bay leaves can be added, which are removed again before sale.

Origin & history

The area lies north of Mont Ventoux in the “Préalpes sèches”, the dry Pre-Alps, south of mountain ranges 1,000 to 1,300 m high that protect it from the mistral, and east of the Rhône valley. It comprises 53 municipalities in the Drôme and the Vaucluse. On the 44th parallel it is, according to the specification, the northernmost olive-growing area in France. The basin location protects the trees from wind and cold, and Mont Ventoux keeps off heavy rain from the south. Nyons has around 2,500 hours of sunshine a year and, according to the specification, is also called “petit Nice”. Average rainfall is 773 mm, mainly in autumn.

According to the specification, first the Phoenicians and then the Greeks taught the inhabitants along the Eygues to grow vines and olives. The Tanche variety is considered native; some trees are about 1,000 years old. After the frost of 1956 the producers joined forces, founded the “Confrérie des chevaliers de l’olivier” in 1964 and keep up festivals such as the Olivades and the Alicoque. In 1968 the court of Valence recognised a designation of origin, followed by the AOC in 1994. According to the specification, it was the first table olive with an AOC in France.