Riviera Ligure

Appearance & taste

Riviera Ligure is an extra virgin olive oil without sensory defects. At tasting it must be fruity (median at least 3) and have a sweet note (at least 2); pungency and bitterness have upper limits (at most 5 and 4.5 respectively). According to the specification, consumers regard it as balanced, with a high oleic acid content and a slightly sweetish taste. The term “mild” may only appear on the label if bitterness and pungency reach a value of 2 at most.

Free acidity is at most 0.5 g per 100 g of oil. The label must state the harvest year of the olives. The name may be supplemented by one of the sub-area mentions “Riviera dei Fiori”, “Riviera del Ponente Savonese” or “Riviera di Levante”; additions such as “fine”, “scelto” or “superiore” are not permitted. It is bottled in containers of up to five litres.

Production

The oil comes from one or more of 28 local olive varieties that occur in the groves alone or mixed, including Taggiasca, Lavagnina, Razzola, Frantoio and Leccino. Cultivation, harvesting, extraction of the oil and bottling must take place in the defined area; this is meant to secure origin and traceability and to avoid mixing with oils of other origin.

According to the specification, Ligurian growing methods are based on centuries of experience. Pruning traditionally encourages the trees’ natural growth in height; because land is scarce, the trees sometimes stand very close together. Harvesting is staggered over a longer period, each time the olives are ripe, and usually continues until late in the season. The specification attributes the mild note of the oil to this.

Origin & history

Liguria lies as an arc open to the south between a mountain range, which protects it from northerly winds and cold, and the sea, which provides a favourable climate, above all in terms of temperature and humidity. Olive trees grow in almost the whole area up to about 800 m, above all on the western coast, the Riviera di Ponente. Over centuries, terraces supported by dry-stone walls were built by hand; they prevent erosion and ensure that the soils are aerated and drained.

The introduction of the olive tree to Liguria is attributed to Benedictine monks in the 9th century. The original variety was named after Taggia, a trading port from which the olives were shipped. At the beginning of the 19th century the botanist Giorgio Gallesio found that the Ligurian olives descend from a common variety. More recent research confirms that cultivation is based mainly on the Taggiasca and on varieties derived from it, such as Lavagnina in the province of Genoa and Razzola in the province of La Spezia.